part

Universal Words noun, verb, adverb noun some 1 [U] ~ of sth some but not all of a thing: We spent part of the time in the museum. * Part of the building was destroyed in the fire. * Voters are given only part of the story (= only some of the information). * Part of me feels sorry for him (= I feel partly, but not entirely, sorry for him). piece 2 [C] a section, piece or feature of sth: The early part of her life was spent in Paris. * The novel is good in parts. * We've done the difficult part of the job. * The procedure can be divided into two parts. * The worst part was having to wait three hours in the rain. member 3 [U] a member of sth; a person or thing that, together with others, makes up a single unit: You need to be able to work as part of a team. of machine 4 [C] a piece of a machine or structure: aircraft parts * the working parts of the machinery * spare parts of body / plant 5 [C] a separate piece or area of a human or animal body or of a plant: the parts of the body seealsoPRIVATEPARTS region / area 6 [C] an area or a region of the world, a country, a town, etc: the northern part of the country * a plant that grows in many parts of the world * Which part of London do you come from? * Come and visit us if you're ever in our part of the world. 7 (parts) [pl.] (old-fashioned, informal) a region or an area: She's not from these parts. * He's just arrived back from foreign parts. of book / series 8 [C] (abbreviation pt) a section of a book, television series, etc., especially one that is published or broadcast separately: an encyclopedia published in 25 weekly parts * Henry IV, Part II * The final part will be shown next Sunday evening. for actor 9 [C] a role played by an actor in a play, film/movie, etc.; the words spoken by an actor in a particular role: She was very good in the part. * Have you learned your part yet? * (figurative) He's always playing a part (= pretending to be sth that he is not). in music 10 [C] music for a particular voice or instrument in a group singing or playing together: the clarinet part * four-part harmony equal portion 11 [C] a unit of measurement that allows you to compare the different amounts of substances in sth: Add three parts wine to one part water. * fluoride levels of 0.2 parts per million in hair 12 [C] (AmE) = PARTING IDIOMS the best / better part of sth most of sth, especially a period of time; more than half of sth: He drank the best part of a bottle of Scotch waiting for her to get home. * The journey took her the better part of an hour. for the most part mostly; usually: The contributors are, for the most part, professional scientists. for my, his, their, etc. part speaking for myself, etc. SYNPERSONALLY have a part to play (in sth) to be able to help sth: We all have a part to play in the fight against crime. have / play a part (in sth) to be involved in sth: She plays an active part in local politics. * Alcohol plays a part in 70 per cent of divorces. have / play / take / want no part in / of sth to not be involved or refuse to be involved in sth, especially because you disapprove of it: He had no part in the decision. * I want no part of this sordid business. in part partly; to some extent: Her success was due in part to luck. look / dress the part to have an appearance or wear clothes suitable for a particular job, role or position a man / woman of (many) parts a person with many skills on the part of sb / on sb's part made or done by sb: It was an error on my part. part and parcel of sth an essential part of sth: Keeping the accounts is part and parcel of my job. part of the furniture a person or thing that you are so used to seeing that you no longer notice them: I worked there so long that I became part of the furniture. take sth in good part (BrE) to accept sth slightly unpleasant without complaining or being offended: He took the teasing in good part. take part (in sth) to be involved in sth SYNPARTICIPATE: to take part in a discussion / demonstration / fight / celebration * How many countries took part in the last Olympic Games? take sb's part (BrE) to support sb, for example in an argument: His mother always takes his part. moreatDISCRETION, LARGE, SUMn. verb leave sb 1 [V] ~ (from sb) (formal) if a person parts from another person, or two people part, they leave each other: We parted at the airport. * I hate to part on such bad terms. * He has recently parted from his wife (= they have started to live apart). * I never forgot his parting words (= what he said as he left). seealsoPARTINGadj. keep apart 2 [VN] [oftenpassive] ~ sb (from sb) (formal) to prevent sb from being with sb else: I hate being parted from the children. * The puppies were parted from their mother at birth. move away 3 if two things or parts of things part or you part them, they move away from each other: [V] The crowd parted in front of them. * The elevator doors parted and out stepped the President. * [VN] Her lips were slightly parted. * She parted the curtains a little and looked out. hair 4 [VN] to divide your hair into two sections with a comb, creating a line that goes from the back of your head to the front: He parts his hair in the middle. seealsoPARTINGn. IDIOMS part company (with / from sb) 1 to leave sb; to end a relationship with sb: This is where we part company (= go in different directions). * The band have parted company with their manager. * The band and their manager have parted company. 2 to disagree with sb about sth: Weber parted company with Marx on a number of important issues. PHRASALVERBS part with sth to give sth to sb else, especially sth that you would prefer to keep: Make sure you read the contract before parting with any money. adverb (often in compounds) consisting of two things; to some extent but not completely: She's part French, part English. * His feelings were part anger, part relief. * The course is part funded by the European Commission. * He is part owner of a farm in France.