portion

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈpɔːrʃən/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈpɔrʃən/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(pôr′shən, pōr′-)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
por•tion /ˈpɔrʃən/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. a part of a whole;
    a segment:Portions of this television broadcast have been sponsored by various oil companies.
  2. an amount of food served to one person;
    serving;
    helping:several portions of meat and dessert.
  3. the part of a whole set aside for a person or group;
    share:My portion was less than yours.
  4. the part of an estate that goes to an heir.

v. 
  1. to divide into or distribute in portions or shares: [~ + out + object]Portion out the rest of this food among yourselves.[~ + object + out]Portion it out among yourselves.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
por•tion  (pôr′shən, pōr′-),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. a part of any whole, either separated from or integrated with it:I read a portion of the manuscript.
  2. an amount of food served for one person;
    serving;
    helping:He took a large portion of spinach.
  3. the part of a whole allotted to or belonging to a person or group;
    share.
  4. the part of an estate that goes to an heir or a next of kin.
  5. [Literary.]something that is allotted to a person by God or fate.
  6. (esp. formerly) the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband at marriage;
    dowry.

v.t. 
  1. to divide into or distribute in portions or shares (often fol. by out).
  2. to furnish with a portion, as with an inheritance or a dowry:All of his children have been amply portioned.
  3. to provide with a lot or fate:She was portioned with sorrow throughout her life.
  • Latin portiōn- (stem of portiō) share, part, akin to pars part
  • Old French
  • Middle English porcion 1250–1300
por′tion•a•ble, adj. 
por′tion•less, adj. 
    1. section, segment. See part. 2. ration. 3. allotment, quota, lot, dividend. 4. inheritance. 5. fortune, lot, destiny, doom. 7. allot, apportion. 8. endow.
    1. whole.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
portion /ˈpɔːʃən/ n
  1. a part of a whole; fraction
  2. a part allotted or belonging to a person or group
  3. an amount of food served to one person; helping
    • a share of property, esp one coming to a child from the estate of his or her parents
    • archaic the property given by a woman to her husband at marriage; dowry
  5. a person's lot or destiny
 vb (transitive)
  1. to divide up; share out
  2. to give a share to (a person); assign or allocate
Etymology: 13th Century: via Old French from Latin portiō portion, allocation; related to pars partˈportionless adj
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'portion' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
allot - allotment - allowance - arch - area - bit - black economy - butt - cardiac - carry - caul - cerebrum - condyle - consort - counter - cut - descender - distribution - dividend - divvy - dole - domain - double - draught - drink - earnest - eyelid - fantail - filler - flour - forequarter - fore-topgallant - fragment - frontal lobe - gamma radiation - generous - glide - gudgeon - hard palate - helping - hew - hub - ice - instalment - Jean de Meung - jetsam - journey - Jutland - leftover - lesson
Collocations: eat a [half, full, small, large, kid's] portion, only a [small, half] portion please, a [small] portion of [cake, pizza, beef], more...

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