portion

/'pɔ:ʃn/
Học thuật
Thân thiện
portion

A server places a generous portion of pasta on a customer's plate.

Definition

Noun 1. A part or share of a whole: An amount of something that is part of a larger total or is allotted to someone. 2. A serving of food: An individual amount of food served to one person, especially as part of a meal. 3. A dowry: Property or money brought by a bride to her husband at marriage (archaic or formal). 4. Fate or lot: One's destiny or the circumstances of one's life (formal or literary).

Verb * To divide and distribute something in shares; to allot.

Examples

Noun * He donated a portion of his salary to charity. * She only ate a small portion of the cake. * In the 19th century, a woman's portion was crucial for marriage. * He accepted his portion in life with quiet dignity.

Verb * The land was portioned out among the heirs. * The teacher portioned the tasks to the students.

Advanced Usage
  • A portion of: Used to indicate an indefinite part of a whole.
    • A significant portion of the audience agreed with the speaker.
  • To portion out: To divide something into parts for distribution.
    • The aid workers portioned out the remaining supplies.
Variants and Related Words
  • Portionless (adj): Having no dowry or inheritance.
  • Apportion (verb): To divide and assign proportionally.
Synonyms
  • Part, segment, fraction, piece (for a part of a whole).
  • Serving, helping (for food).
  • Share, allotment, allocation (for a distributed part).
  • Fate, destiny, lot (for one's circumstances).
Related Phrasal Verbs
  • Portion out: To distribute something in shares or amounts.
    • Please portion out the snacks for the children.
Related Idioms
  • One's (fair) portion/share: The amount that is deserved or appropriate for one person.
    • He has certainly had his portion of bad luck this year.
portion

A server places a generous portion of pasta on a customer's plate.

Noun
  1. an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal
    • the helpings were all small
    • his portion was larger than hers
    • there's enough for two servings each
  2. money or property brought by a woman to her husband at marriage
  3. your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
    • whatever my fortune may be
    • deserved a better fate
    • has a happy lot
    • the luck of the Irish
    • a victim of circumstances
    • success that was her portion
  4. assets belonging to or due to or contributed by an individual person or group
    • he wanted his share in cash
  5. the allotment of some amount by dividing something
    • death gets more than its share of attention from theologians
  6. something less than the whole of a human artifact
    • the rear part of the house
    • glue the two parts together
  7. something determined in relation to something that includes it
    • he wanted to feel a part of something bigger than himself
    • I read a portion of the manuscript
    • the smaller component is hard to reach
    • the animal constituent of plankton
Verb
  1. give out
    • We were assigned new uniforms