1
a
: a geometric figure bounded by two radii and the included arc of a circle
b(1)
: a subdivision of a defensive military position
(2)
: a portion of a military front or area of operation
c
: an area or portion resembling a sector
bilingual sector of town—
David Kleinberg
David Kleinberg
d
: a sociological, economic, or political subdivision of society
cooperation between the public and private sectors—Peter Chapman
Peter Chapman2
: a mathematical instrument consisting of two rulers connected at one end by a joint and marked with several scales
3
: a subdivision of a track on a computer disk
sectoral
adjective
ˈsek-t(ə-)rəl
sectored; sectoring
ˈsek-t(ə-)riŋ 
: to divide into or furnish with sectors
Examples of sector in a Sentence
Noun
He was assigned to the northern sector.
Data is stored on the disk in 512-byte sectors.
Recent Examples on the Web
Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2025
The less sunny news: the transportation and utilities sector lost 10,200 jobs, mostly from normal seasonal losses in transportation, warehousing and utilities.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Pia Singh, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2025
Key Banc downgrades Sherwin-Williams to sector weight from overweight KeyBanc downgraded the painting company on valuation.
—Michael Bloom, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sector
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Noun
Later, when the murder case fell apart, Harvey, who by this time was working in the corporate sector, clandestinely helped Ted convict Pellegrini on racketeering charges.
—Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2025
The less sunny news: the transportation and utilities sector lost 10,200 jobs, mostly from normal seasonal losses in transportation, warehousing and utilities.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
Analyst John Vinh downgraded AMD to sector weight from overweight.
—Pia Singh, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2025
Key Banc downgrades Sherwin-Williams to sector weight from overweight KeyBanc downgraded the painting company on valuation.
—Michael Bloom, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for sector
Cite this Entry
“Sector.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sector. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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