Section means a distinct part of something larger. When you slice an orange, each wedge is a section. When a teacher divides the class into groups for a project, each group is a section. A newspaper has different sections: sports, news, business, and comics.

The word helps us think about how big things are organized into smaller, manageable pieces. A library might organize books by section: fiction, history, science. An orchestra has a brass section, a string section, and a woodwind section. When you're reading a long chapter in a textbook, it's usually divided into sections with their own headings.

In some contexts, section can mean a specific area or district. Cities are sometimes divided into sections, like the north section or the downtown section.

When used as a verb, to section means to divide something into parts. A scientist might section tissue to examine it under a microscope, or you might section an apple to share with friends.