compartment

compartment — noun

1. any of the partitioned spaces built inside a train carriage or other vehicle, fi

1.nounB1
Definition

any of the partitioned spaces built inside a train carriage or other vehicle, fitted with seats or storage for passengers and their belongings

Example

Old Tomás found a quiet compartment on the overnight train to Kaohsiung.

collocation: quiet compartment / empty compartment

The luggage compartment at the end of the carriage was already completely full.

compound noun: luggage compartment

Common collocations
  • quiet compartment
  • empty compartment
  • first-class compartment
  • luggage compartment
  • sleeping compartment
  • smoking compartment
Synonyms
  • section

    more general; a compartment is always enclosed, whereas a section may be open

  • cubicle

    usually smaller and enclosed on three or four sides, like in an office

  • berth

    specifically a bed or sleeping space on a train or ship

Usage Note

Often combined with a purpose or class word: 'first-class compartment', 'luggage compartment', 'sleeping compartment'. The whole railway car is called a 'carriage' or 'coach' in British English; 'compartment' refers to one subdivided section inside it.

Common Mistakes

Let us sit in the carriage near the front.' (when you mean a specific divided section)
Let us sit in the compartment near the front.
'carriage' is the whole coach; 'compartment' is a subsection within it.

2. an enclosed section within an object such as a desk drawer, a bag, a toolbox, or

2.nounB1
Definition

an enclosed section within an object such as a desk drawer, a bag, a toolbox, or a refrigerator, designed for keeping particular items separate and organized

Example

Yara keeps a first-aid kit in the glove compartment of her car.

fixed compound: glove compartment

The refrigerator has a separate compartment that keeps vegetables fresh.

compound noun: freezer compartment / vegetable compartment

Common collocations
  • secret compartment
  • storage compartment
  • glove compartment
  • freezer compartment
  • hidden compartment
  • lockable compartment
  • inner compartment
Synonyms
  • section

    broader and less specific; can refer to any part, not necessarily enclosed

  • chamber

    suggests a fully enclosed space, often inside machinery or the body

  • partition

    emphasises the dividing wall rather than the space itself

  • pocket

    used for soft compartments in bags or clothing

Usage Note

Commonly paired with a purpose word forming a compound noun: 'glove compartment' (car), 'freezer compartment' (fridge), 'storage compartment' (bag or vehicle). A 'secret compartment' is a hidden space for valuables.

Common Mistakes

I put the milk on the top compartment of the fridge.
I put the milk on the top shelf of the fridge.
a flat open shelf is not a compartment; a compartment is a closed or partly enclosed space.

3. a section within the body that is wrapped in connective tissue and contains musc

3.nounC1
Definition

a section within the body that is wrapped in connective tissue and contains muscles, nerves, and blood vessels

Example

The doctor explained that the muscle compartment in Rohan's lower leg was swollen.

common in medical context: muscle compartment

Nadia felt a sharp pain building in the tissue compartment of her injured forearm.

Common collocations
  • muscle compartment
  • tissue compartment
  • fascial compartment
  • deep compartment
  • anterior compartment
  • posterior compartment
  • compartment syndrome
Synonyms
  • chamber

    used for heart chambers or other body cavities

  • cavity

    a hollow space in the body, such as the chest or abdominal cavity

  • space

    a more general term for any anatomical region

Usage Note

Used almost exclusively in medical or anatomical writing. The most common contexts are 'muscle compartment', 'fascial compartment', and the condition 'compartment syndrome' — where swelling inside a compartment cuts off blood flow.

Common Mistakes

My arm has four compartments.' (without medical context)
The forearm contains four muscle compartments separated by fascia.
using this sense in everyday conversation sounds unnatural; reserve it for clinical or anatomical descriptions.

compartment — verb

Word family

  • compartmentalize
    verbC1
  • compartmentalization
    nounC1
  • compartmental
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All four words refer to a part of a larger space, but they differ in enclosure and physicality. 'Section' is the most general — it simply means a part of a whole, which may or may not be physically separated. 'Compartment' implies a clearly enclosed space with walls or boundaries, like a train compartment or a drawer divider. 'Partition' emphasises the dividing wall itself rather than the space created; you remove a partition, but you clear out a compartment. 'Chamber' suggests a fully enclosed cavity, often inside machinery or the body, and sounds more technical. 'Pocket' is limited to soft-sided containers such as bags or clothing. For everyday storage (fridge drawers, bag sections, car glove boxes), 'compartment' is the most natural choice. For example: 'The freezer compartment keeps ice cream hard' sounds correct, while 'the freezer chamber' sounds overly technical for a home appliance.

sectionpartitionchamberpocket

Common collocations

Nouns

  • train
  • luggage
  • storage
  • glove
  • freezer
  • muscle
  • tissue
  • secret
  • sleeping

Adverbs

  • neatly
  • separately
  • hermetically

Phrases

  • divide into compartments
  • separate into compartments
  • consist of compartments
  • be divided into compartments

Prepositions

  • into
  • in
  • within
  • between

Etymology

LatinItalianFrenchEnglish

The word entered English in the 1500s from French 'compartiment', meaning 'a division'. French took it from Italian 'compartimento', which came from 'compartire' — 'to divide, to share out'. That Italian verb was built from Latin 'com-' ('with, together') and 'partire' ('to part, to divide'). Over time the meaning shifted from the act of dividing to the resulting divided space itself.