(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
A particular ~ of a country’s economy is the part connected with that specified type of industry.
...the nation’s manufacturing ~.
N-COUNT: supp N
see also public ~ , private ~
2.
A ~ of a large group is a smaller group which is part of it.
Workers who went to the Gulf came from the poorest ~s of Pakistani society.
N-COUNT: usu with supp
3.
A ~ is an area of a city or country which is controlled by a military force.
Officers were going to retake ~s of the city.
N-COUNT: usu with supp
4.
A ~ is a part of a circle which is formed when you draw two straight lines from the centre of the circle to the edge. (TECHNICAL)
N-COUNT