Session vs. Section: What's the Difference?
Edited by Harlon Moss || By Janet White || Updated on October 2, 2023
Session refers to a meeting or a period devoted to a particular activity, while Section is a distinct part or subdivision of something.
Key Differences
A session is commonly referred to as a period of time or a meeting dedicated to a specific activity, and it embodies a singular, often scheduled event. On the contrary, a section tends to describe a subdivision or a specific part of a whole, often within a document or a physical space, helping to organize or categorize information or objects.
Within the realm of legislative bodies, a session refers to the time during which the body convenes to conduct its business, determining the timeline in which decisions are made. A section, in this context, might refer to a subset of a legal or statutory document, providing specified information or rules related to the context of that particular part only.
In the field of technology, a session might describe a period during which a user is engaged with a system, implying the temporary and interactive nature of user-system interaction. In contrast, a section in technological contexts might refer to a specific subdivision of code or a particular segment of a website, denoting structure and organization.
In education, a session could indicate a specific period of learning or an academic term, dictating the period in which learning or assessment takes place. Whereas a section in educational terminology might refer to a subdivision of a course or a chapter in a textbook, assisting in demarcating different units or topics.
In sports, a session could be a designated period for training or competition, indicating temporal limits and a focus on specific activities or goals. Alternatively, a section may refer to a part of a stadium or arena, signifying spatial division and aiding in organizing seating or activities.
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Comparison Chart
Basic Meaning
A period of time devoted to a particular activity
A distinct part or subdivision of something
Context in Legislation
A period when a legislative body is convened
A subdivision of a legal or statutory document
Technological Context
User interaction period with a system
A subdivision of code or a website segment
Educational Reference
A period or term of learning
A subdivision of a course or textbook chapter
In Physical Space
Not typically applicable in physical space context
A separated part of a physical space or entity
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Session and Section Definitions
Session
A session represents a specific duration of time allocated for an activity.
The yoga session lasted for an hour.
Section
A section is a distinct part or subdivision of something.
He was responsible for writing section three of the report.
Session
In psychotherapy, a session denotes a scheduled meeting time between a therapist and a client.
She felt refreshed after her therapy session.
Section
In real estate, a section can be a parcel of land.
They bought a section to build their new house.
Session
In computing, a session denotes the period of interaction between a user and a computer system.
Your session has expired due to inactivity.
Section
In anatomy, a section refers to a flat or planar surface of an organ or
Session
A meeting of a legislative or judicial body for the purpose of transacting business.
Section
One of several components; a piece.
Session
A series of such meetings.
Section
A subdivision of a written work.
Session
The term or duration of time that is taken by such a series of meetings.
Section
(Law) A distinct portion or provision of a legal code or set of laws, often establishing a particular legal requirement
Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
Session
The part of a year or of a day during which a school holds classes.
Section
A distinct portion of a newspaper
The sports section.
Session
A period of time devoted to a specific activity
A recording session at a music studio.
A login session that was disrupted by a power outage.
Section
A distinct area of a town, county, or country
A residential section.
Session
A period devoted to a particular activity, e.g. the annual or semiannual periods of a legislative body (that together comprise the legislative term) whose individual meetings are also called sessions.
A training session
"Are we having a recording session?" / "Yes. We've even got some session musicians to provide some brass."
Section
A land unit equal to one square mile (2.59 square kilometers), 640 acres, or 1/36 of a township.
Session
A meeting of a council, court, school, or legislative body to conduct its business.
This court is now in session.
Section
The act or process of separating or cutting, especially the surgical cutting or dividing of tissue.
Session
(computing) The sequence of interactions between client and server, or between user and system; the period during which a user is logged in or connected.
Logging out or shutting down the computer will end your session.
Section
A thin slice, as of tissue, suitable for microscopic examination.
Session
(cricket) Any of the three scheduled two hour playing sessions, from the start of play to lunch, from lunch to tea and from tea to the close of play.
Section
A segment of a fruit, especially a citrus fruit.
Session
(obsolete) The act of sitting, or the state of being seated.
Section
Representation of a solid object as it would appear if cut by an intersecting plane, so that the internal structure is displayed.
Session
(music) jam session
Section
(Music) A group of instruments or voices in the same class considered as a division of a band, orchestra, or choir
The rhythm section.
The woodwind section.
Session
(education) An academic term
Section
A class or discussion group of students taking the same course
She taught three sections of English composition.
Session
(beer) An extended period of drinking, typically consuming beer with low alcohol content.
Section
A portion of railroad track maintained by a single crew.
Session
(music) To hold or participate in a jam session with other musicians.
Section
An area in a train's sleeping car containing an upper and lower berth.
Session
The act of sitting, or the state of being seated.
So much his ascension into heaven and his session at the right hand of God do import.
But Viven, gathering somewhat of his mood, . . . Leaped from her session on his lap, and stood.
Section
An army tactical unit smaller than a platoon and larger than a squad.
Session
The actual sitting of a court, council, legislature, etc., or the actual assembly of the members of such a body, for the transaction of business.
It's fit this royal session do proceed.
Section
A unit of vessels or aircraft within a division of armed forces.
Session
Hence, also, the time, period, or term during which a court, council, legislature, etc., meets daily for business; or, the space of time between the first meeting and the prorogation or adjournment; thus, a session of Parliaments is opened with a speech from the throne, and closed by prorogation. The session of a judicial court is called a term.
It was resolved that the convocation should meet at the beginning of the next session of Parliament.
Section
One of two or more vehicles, such as a bus or train, given the same route and schedule, often used to carry extra passengers.
Session
A meeting for execution of a group's functions;
It was the opening session of the legislature
Section
The character (§) used in printing to mark the beginning of a section.
Session
The time during which a school holds classes;
They had to shorten the school term
Section
This character used as the fourth in a series of reference marks for footnotes.
Session
A meeting devoted to a particular activity;
A filming session
A gossip session
Section
(Informal) A cesarean section.
Session
A meeting of spiritualists;
The seance was held in the medium's parlor
Section
To separate or divide into parts.
Session
In legislatures, a session refers to the time during which a legislative body meets.
The senator was absent for the entire session.
Section
To cut or divide (tissue) surgically.
Session
In academia, a session can refer to a term or a school year.
Registration for the spring session is open.
Section
To shade or crosshatch (part of a drawing) to indicate sections.
Section
(Informal) To perform a cesarean section on.
Section
A cutting; a part cut out from the rest of something.
Section
A part, piece, subdivision of anything.
Section
(music) A group of instruments in an orchestra.
The horn section is the group of symphonic musicians who play the French horn.
Section
A part of a document.
Section
An act or instance of cutting.
Section
A cross-section (image that shows an object as if cut along a plane).
Section
(aviation) A cross-section perpendicular the longitudinal axis of an aircraft in flight.
Section
(surgery) An incision or the act of making an incision.
Section
(sciences) A thin slice of material prepared as a specimen for research.
Section
(botany) A taxonomic rank below the genus (and subgenus if present), but above the species.
Section
(zoology) An informal taxonomic rank below the order ranks and above the family ranks.
Section
(military) A group of 10-15 soldiers led by a non-commissioned officer and forming part of a platoon.
Section
(category theory) A right inverse.
Section
(NZ) A piece of residential land; a plot.
Section
(Canadian) A one-mile square area of land, defined by a government survey.
Section
Any of the squares, each containing 640 acres, into which the public lands of the United States were divided.
Section
The symbol §, denoting a section of a document.
Section
(geology) A sequence of rock layers.
Section
A class in a school; a group of students in a regularly scheduled meeting with a teacher in a certain school year or semester or school quarter year.
Section
To cut, divide or separate into pieces.
Section
To reduce to the degree of thinness required for study with the microscope.
Section
(UK) To commit (a person, to a hospital, with or without their consent), as for mental health reasons. So called after various sections of legal acts regarding mental health.
Section
To perform a cesarean section on (someone).
Section
The act of cutting, or separation by cutting; as, the section of bodies.
Section
A part separated from something; a division; a portion; a slice.
Section
A distinct part or portion of a book or writing; a subdivision of a chapter; the division of a law or other writing; a paragraph; an article; hence, the character often used to denote such a division.
It is hardly possible to give a distinct view of his several arguments in distinct sections.
Section
The figure made up of all the points common to a superficies and a solid which meet, or to two superficies which meet, or to two lines which meet. In the first case the section is a superficies, in the second a line, and in the third a point.
Section
A distinct part of a country or people, community, class, or the like; a part of a territory separated by geographical lines, or of a people considered as distinct.
The extreme section of one class consists of bigoted dotards, the extreme section of the other consists of shallow and reckless empirics.
Section
A division of a genus; a group of species separated by some distinction from others of the same genus; - often indicated by the sign .
Section
One of the portions, of one square mile each, into which the public lands of the United States are divided; one thirty-sixth part of a township. These sections are subdivided into quarter sections for sale under the homestead and preëmption laws.
Section
A part of a musical period, composed of one or more phrases. See Phrase.
Section
The description or representation of anything as it would appear if cut through by any intersecting plane; depiction of what is beyond a plane passing through, or supposed to pass through, an object, as a building, a machine, a succession of strata; profile.
Section
A self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical);
He always turns first to the business section
The history of this work is discussed in the next section
Section
A very thin slice (of tissue or mineral or other substance) for examination under a microscope;
Sections from the left ventricle showed diseased tissue
Section
A distinct region or subdivision of a territorial or political area or community or group of people;
No section of the nation is more ardent than the South
There are three synagogues in the Jewish section
Section
One of several parts or pieces that fit with others to constitute a whole object;
A section of a fishing rod
Metal sections were used below ground
Finished the final segment of the road
Section
A small team of policemen working as part of a police platoon
Section
One of the portions into which something is regarded as divided and which together constitute a whole;
The written part of the exam
The finance section of the company
The BBC's engineering division
Section
A land unit of 1 square mile measuring 1 mile on a side
Section
(geometry) the area created by a plane cutting through a solid
Section
A division of an orchestra containing all instruments of the same class
Section
A small army unit usually having a special function
Section
A specialized division of a large organization;
You'll find it in the hardware department
She got a job in the historical section of the Treasury
Section
A segment of a citrus fruit;
He ate a section of the orange
Section
The cutting of or into body tissues or organs (especially by a surgeon as part of an operation)
Section
Divide into segments;
Segment an orange
Segment a compound word
Section
In music, a section represents a distinct portion or subsection of a composition.
The string section of the orchestra was particularly vibrant.
Section
In journalism, a section refers to a subdivision of a newspaper or magazine devoted to a particular subject.
The sports section featured a new article on the local team.
FAQs
What is a session?
A session is a period of time devoted to a specific activity or a meeting.
How is a section different from a session?
A section is a distinct part or subdivision of something, not related to time or activity as a session.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Harlon MossHarlon is a seasoned quality moderator and accomplished content writer for Difference Wiki. An alumnus of the prestigious University of California, he earned his degree in Computer Science. Leveraging his academic background, Harlon brings a meticulous and informed perspective to his work, ensuring content accuracy and excellence.
