noun

sector

SEHK-tuhr

noun

A distinct part or division of something larger, especially an area of economic or social activity.

"The healthcare sector added thousands of jobs last year."

"Investors moved money out of the tech sector during the downturn."

A designated area or zone, especially a military or administrative district.

"The battalion was assigned to defend the eastern sector."

"Each patrol covers a different sector of the city."

In geometry, a pie-slice-shaped part of a circle bounded by two radii and the arc between them.

"She calculated the area of the shaded sector."

A fixed-size block of data on a disk, traditionally 512 bytes, that forms part of a track.

"The hard drive reported several bad sectors."

How to Use Sector

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA slice or division of something — a part of a circle, an area of land, or a branch of the economy.

Common pairings

private sector public sector financial sector a sector of the economy

sectors plural

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The healthcare _____ added thousands of jobs last year.

From Latin sector, "cutter," from secare, "to cut" — the same root behind "section" and "dissect."

vector hector rector ejector Spector director detector defector injector inspector collector protector