# segmentation

/ˌsɛɡmənˈteɪʃən/ (US) · /sˌɛɡməntˈeɪʃən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/segmentation
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. dividing into parts

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic

the act of splitting something into smaller sections or groups.

For teachers: the process of partitioning a whole into distinct, manageable segments. Uncountable in its abstract sense.

- The segmentation of the project into smaller tasks made it much easier to finish.
- Effective project management requires the logical segmentation of complex workflows into discrete, achievable milestones for the development team.

### 2. marketing/business

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

dividing a large group of customers into smaller groups based on what they like or who they are.

For teachers: the practice of dividing a broad consumer or business market into sub-groups based on shared characteristics.

- Market segmentation helps the company sell different products to different age groups.
- Through sophisticated demographic segmentation, the agency identified a niche audience that had been previously overlooked by traditional advertising campaigns.

### 3. image processing

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

dividing a digital image into different parts so a computer can understand what is in the picture.

For teachers: the process of partitioning a digital image into multiple segments or sets of pixels to simplify its representation.

- The software uses image segmentation to identify the person's face in the photo.
- The diagnostic tool relies on precise image segmentation to distinguish between healthy tissue and potential tumours in the MRI scans.

## Examples

- Market segmentation helps us target the right customers.
- The company used demographic segmentation to focus their advertising on young professionals living in urban areas.
- Effective image segmentation allows the software to distinguish between the foreground subject and the background, which is essential for high-quality digital editing and facial recognition technology.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.