portion

1 of 2

noun

por·​tion ˈpȯr-shən How to pronounce portion (audio)
Synonyms of portionnext
1
: an individual's part or share of something: such as
a
: a share received by gift or inheritance
b
: dowry
c
: enough food especially of one kind to serve one person at one meal
2
: an individual's lot, fate, or fortune : one's share of good and evil
3
: an often limited part of a whole

portion

2 of 2

verb

portioned; portioning ˈpȯr-sh(ə-)niŋ How to pronounce portion (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to divide into portions : distribute
portioned out the food equally
2
: to allot a dowry to : dower

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for portion

part, portion, piece, member, division, section, segment, fragment mean something less than the whole.

part is a general term appropriate when indefiniteness is required.

they ran only part of the way

portion implies an assigned or allotted part.

cut the pie into six portions

piece applies to a separate or detached part of a whole.

a puzzle with 500 pieces

member suggests one of the functional units composing a body.

a structural member

division applies to a large or diversified part.

the manufacturing division of the company

section applies to a relatively small or uniform part.

the entertainment section of the newspaper

segment applies to a part separated or marked out by or as if by natural lines of cleavage.

the retired segment of the population

fragment applies to a part produced by or as if by breaking off.

only a fragment of the play still exists

fate, destiny, lot, portion, doom mean a predetermined state or end.

fate implies an inevitable and usually an adverse outcome.

the fate of the submarine is unknown

destiny implies something foreordained and often suggests a great or noble course or end.

the country's destiny to be a model of liberty to the world

lot and portion imply a distribution by fate or destiny, lot suggesting blind chance

it was her lot to die childless

, portion implying the apportioning of good and evil.

remorse was his daily portion

doom distinctly implies a grim or calamitous fate.

if the rebellion fails, his doom is certain

Examples of portion in a Sentence

Noun A portion of the donations will be given to the orphanage. Portions of land were used for farming. A considerable portion of the city was flooded. The restaurant gives large portions. She divided the pie into six equal portions. Verb The work was portioned to each member of the staff. portioned out the medical supplies equally
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
It’s believed McGregor, Attar and Austin still own a portion of the brand—though how much hasn’t been disclosed by Becle. —Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 27 Nov. 2024 There's not a lot of infrastructure south of us or north of us to facilitate a large flow of people, but what the last four years have shown is that more people are willing to try to cross this portion of the border. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
Verb
Add the lettuce to the bowl, toss until coated, and then portion out servings using tongs. —Alyson Sheppard, Robb Report, 2 Nov. 2024 Once the liquid reduces by about half, strain and portion the stock, then freeze it for future soups, stews, or gravies. —Alma Avalle, Bon Appétit, 28 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for portion 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English porcioun, porcion "part allotted to a person or institution, share, section into which a thing is divided, quantity", borrowed from Anglo-French porciun, porcioun, borrowed from Latin portiōn-, portiō "ratio, proportion, part, share" (earliest in the phrase prō portiōne "in the degree proper to each, proportionately"), probably by dissimilation from *prōrtiōne, by univerbation and syncope from prō ratiōne "in proportion" (with ratiō "reckoning, calculation, proportion") — more at pro- entry 2, reason entry 1

Note: If correct, this etymology represents the first of two univerbations with the preposition/prefix prō̆, the first with ratiōn- (whence *prō ratiōne > *prōratiōne > *prōrtiōne > portiōn-, portiō), the second with the newly formed noun portiō (whence prō portiōne > *prōportiōne > prōportiōn-, prōportiō—see proportion entry 1). Also suggested is derivation of portiō from partītiōn-, partītiō "sharing out, distribution, division of a speech" (see partition entry 1), assuming *prō partiōne reduced from *prō partītione; however, the noun partītiō is not attested before Cicero, while portiō is used already by Plautus.

Verb

Middle English portionen, porciounen "to divide into portions," borrowed from Anglo-French porcioner, borrowed from Medieval Latin portiōnāre, derivative of Latin portiōn-, portiō "ratio, proportion, part, share" — more at portion entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of portion was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing portion

Dictionary Entries Near portion

portiforium

portion

portional

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Portion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/portion. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

portion

1 of 2 noun
por·​tion ˈpōr-shən How to pronounce portion (audio)
ˈpȯr-
1
a
: one's share of a whole
a portion of food
b
: dowry
2
: one's lot or fate
3
: a part of a whole

portion

2 of 2 verb
portioned; portioning -sh(ə-)niŋ How to pronounce portion (audio)
: apportion

More from Merriam-Webster on portion

Nglish: Translation of portion for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of portion for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
sweet smart pug puppy dog sitting in front of blackboard with chalk question marks
Commonly Confused Words Quiz Vol. 3 Do you have a (flare/flair) for choosing the righ...