department

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Academic

n. a division in a university or college that teaches a specific subject.

n. an administrative unit within a university or college dedicated to a specific field of study or research.

“She is a professor in the history department at the local university.”

“The physics department recently secured a significant grant to upgrade its laboratory facilities for quantum research.”

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. a large part of a government that deals with one area of public life.

n. a major administrative division of a national or regional government.

“The Department of Education announced new rules for student loans today.”

“The Department of Justice launched an investigation into the merger to determine if it violated any antitrust regulations.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

n. a specific area or district of a country used for local government, especially in France.

n. a territorial administrative division of a country, most notably the 'département' in the French administrative system.

“We spent our summer holiday traveling through the different departments of southern France.”

“Each French department is headed by a prefect who represents the central government at the local level.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Informal

n. a person's special area of knowledge or responsibility.

n. an informal reference to an individual's particular sphere of activity, expertise, or responsibility.

“I can help you with the writing, but fixing the computer is my brother's department.”

“While I can offer advice on the overall strategy, the technical implementation is very much Sarah's department.”