Unit ˈjuːnɪt Single Basic Group Type Care Maternity

• the cell is the unit of which all living organisms are composed.
• the basic unit of society is the family.
• the game's selling price was $15 per unit.
• what's the unit cost?

unit

1. a single thing, person or group that is complete by itself but can also form part of something larger
• The cell is the unit of which all living organisms are composed.
• The basic unit of society is the family.
2. a single item of the type of product that a company sells
• The game's selling price was $15 per unit.
• What's the unit cost?
3. a group of people who work or live together, especially for a particular purpose
• army/military/police units
• Medical units were operating in the disaster area.
4. a department, especially in a hospital, that provides a particular type of care or treatment
• the intensive care unit
• a maternity unit
5. a piece of furniture, especially a cupboard, that fits with and matches others of the same type
• a fitted kitchen with white units
• floor/wall units
• bedroom/kitchen/storage units
6. a fixed quantity, etc. that is used as a standard measurement
• a unit of time/length/weight
• a unit of currency, such as the euro or the dollar
• Women are advised not to drink more than fourteen units of alcohol per week.
7. a small machine that has a particular purpose or is part of a larger machine
• a waste disposal unit
• the central processing unit of a computer
8. one of the parts into which a textbook or a series of lessons is divided
• The present perfect is covered in Unit 8.
9. a single flat/apartment or house in a building or group of buildings containing a number of them
10. any whole number from 0 to 9
• a column for the tens and a column for the units

Extra Examples

• China produced 65 million units last year.
• Electricity is ten pence per unit.
• Large departments were broken down into smaller units.
• She works in the maternity unit at the local hospital.
• The cancer research unit is attached to the local university.
• The family is the basic unit of society.
• The manufacturer sold 73 000 units in the first quarter.
• The new manager changed a talented collection of individuals into a cohesive unit.
• This study’s unit of analysis is the individual hospital.
• We’re having new kitchen units installed.
• a single dwelling unit
• a unit of currency
• fifty units of electricity
• the average unit cost of all products
• the central processing unit in a computer
• the role of the family unit in the community
• to change a collection of individuals into a cohesive unit
• Enemy units have infiltrated the territory.
• Enemy units were advancing from the south.
• She was taken to the intensive care unit.
• The army is collaborating with guerrilla units in the border region.
• The hospital’s maternity unit is to be closed.
• We offer a wide choice of kitchen units in traditional and modern styles.
• You can maximize space by having wall units fitted.
• an air-conditioning unit

Word Origin

• late 16th cent. (as a mathematical term): from Latin unus, probably suggested by digit.