unit
unit — noun
1. one individual thing that can exist by itself, or a separate piece that joins wi
one individual thing that can exist by itself, or a separate piece that joins with others to create a larger whole.
In biology class, Andrei learned that a cell is the smallest living unit in the body.
unit of [something larger]
The apartment building has forty separate storage units available for rent.
Salma divided her long essay into several short units, each covering one key idea.
Each teaching unit in the workbook focuses on a different grammar topic.
The bookshelf comes in three separate units that you can stack together.
- whole
the complete thing that units make up together
文法句型
unit + of + noun
用法筆記
Often followed by of + noun to specify what kind of larger structure the item belongs to (e.g. unit of currency, unit of society).
常見錯誤
2. a cabinet or shelf sold as one piece of a collection where every part shares a c
a cabinet or shelf sold as one piece of a collection where every part shares a consistent look and can join together.
Hugo mounted a wall unit in the living room to hold his books and TV.
The kitchen came with fitted units along both walls, including cupboards and drawers.
fitted units — built-in furniture
Charlotte ordered a matching set of shelving units for her home office.
The bathroom cabinet is part of a modular unit that can be expanded later.
用法筆記
Commonly paired with words that describe the type of furniture: kitchen unit, shelving unit, wall unit, storage unit. British English uses unit for fitted kitchen furniture; American English often says cabinet instead.
3. a self-contained device built to carry out a specific function, whether used alo
a self-contained device built to carry out a specific function, whether used alone or connected into a bigger system.
The air conditioning unit stopped working during the hottest week of summer.
air conditioning unit
Nikhil replaced the power supply unit inside his desktop computer after it failed.
Nicholas installed a control unit in the greenhouse that opens the vents when it gets too hot.
Sofia connected a new display unit to her laptop so she could work on two screens at once.
Each floor of the hotel has its own boiler unit that supplies hot water.
用法筆記
The specific function of the unit is almost always stated before the word (e.g. processing unit, cooling unit, display unit).
4. one individual product considered as a single copy of the goods a manufacturer p
one individual product considered as a single copy of the goods a manufacturer produces and offers for sale.
The factory shipped over two thousand units of the new smartphone in the first week.
sell/produce/ship X units
Buying in bulk lowered the cost per unit from £12 to £9, saving the shop over £300.
cost per unit
Tomás ordered ten units of the blue folder and five of the red one.
The store manager checked how many units of each product were left on the shelf.
文法句型
unit + of + noun
per unit
用法筆記
Very common in business, manufacturing, and retail contexts. Often appears with numbers (X units) or in phrases like price per unit, units sold, unit cost.
常見錯誤
5. one self-contained residence, such as an apartment or flat, located inside a lar
one self-contained residence, such as an apartment or flat, located inside a larger structure or development.
The new apartment complex has fifty units, each with two bedrooms.
Yuna and her roommate are looking for a two-bedroom unit near the university campus.
Each unit in the condominium building has its own parking space in the basement.
The landlord owns six rental units on this street alone.
用法筆記
Used especially by real estate agents, landlords, and property managers. In British English, flat is more common in everyday speech; unit is more formal.
6. someone or something remarkably huge, used informally to express admiration or p
someone or something remarkably huge, used informally to express admiration or playful surprise at the size.
Minh's boyfriend is an absolute unit — he has to duck through every doorway.
absolute unit [informal, admiring]
That old warehouse behind the station is a massive unit of a building.
The lorry Bilal drives is a proper unit, much bigger than his old one.
Look at the size of that dog — what a unit!
用法筆記
This is a colloquial British usage, often paired with absolute (absolute unit). Used affectionately rather than as an insult. Do not use in formal writing.
7. a set of people who join together for a shared aim, such as soldiers in a milita
a set of people who join together for a shared aim, such as soldiers in a military squad, workers on a project team, or family members living under one roof.
Christopher's army unit was sent to help with disaster relief after the earthquake.
military context: army unit
The research unit at Ayana's university published a report on ocean pollution.
academic context: research unit
Each family unit in the apartment building was asked to reduce water usage.
Mauricio manages a small sales unit that handles customer complaints across Asia.
The firefighters formed a special rescue unit trained for mountain emergencies.
文法句型
unit of [people]
[adjective] unit
用法筆記
Often modified by an adjective describing the purpose (military unit, research unit, family unit).
常見錯誤
8. a set amount that people agree on as a reference for expressing how big or small
a set amount that people agree on as a reference for expressing how big or small something is, such as metres for distance, litres for volume, or degrees for temperature.
The metre is the standard unit for measuring distance in most countries.
common collocation: standard unit
The litre is a common unit for measuring liquids like milk, petrol, and cooking oil.
example: litre as a common volume unit
The energy in food is measured in units called calories.
Hassan converted the recipe from imperial units to metric ones.
Most countries use kilometres per hour as the speed unit on road signs.
文法句型
unit of [measurement]
[noun] unit
常見錯誤
9. a fixed quantity of pure alcohol used as a standard for describing how much alco
a fixed quantity of pure alcohol used as a standard for describing how much alcohol a drink contains, helping people keep track of their drinking.
Kenji's doctor advised him to drink no more than two units of alcohol each day.
collocation: units of alcohol
At a health workshop, Dr. Padma explained that one unit of alcohol is roughly half a pint of regular beer.
Hamza checked the bottle label to find the alcohol units inside.
After two units of wine, Sora decided to take a taxi home instead of driving.
- standard drink
used in American and Australian health guidelines; slightly different quantities
文法句型
unit of alcohol
[number] unit(s)
用法筆記
Primarily used in British health advice. One unit equals roughly 8 grams or 10 millilitres of pure ethanol.
常見錯誤
10. a specialised section of a hospital that has the staff and equipment needed to t
a specialised section of a hospital that has the staff and equipment needed to treat patients with a particular medical condition, such as the intensive care unit or the maternity ward.
Luca was moved to the intensive care unit after his heart surgery.
common hospital term: intensive care unit
The maternity unit at City Hospital delivered over two thousand babies last year.
Allison volunteers at the children's unit every Saturday, playing board games and reading stories with young patients.
The hospital opened a new stroke unit with twenty beds for recovering patients.
Nala spent three days in the burns unit after the kitchen accident.
- ward
a more general term for a room or area in a hospital; 'unit' often implies specialised equipment or staff
- department
broader; can refer to the entire medical specialty rather than a specific area
文法句型
the [adjective] unit
[proper noun] unit
11. each single figure between zero and nine, looked at on its own as part of the pl
each single figure between zero and nine, looked at on its own as part of the place-value method for writing larger numbers.
When you write twenty-seven, the seven goes in the units column.
education context: units column
Ada asked her students to add the numbers in the tens and units columns separately.
When the teacher asked what digit goes in the units column of 634, Mayumi answered 'four' without any help.
Mathieu explained that zero is a valid unit even though it represents nothing.
- digit
the more common term for any single numeral 0-9
- ones place
the position name in American English
文法句型
the units column
[number] is a single unit
用法筆記
Used almost exclusively in mathematics teaching or when discussing place values. Not used in everyday speech except in 'units column'.
常見錯誤
12. the number 1, regarded as the most basic counting quantity from which all other
the number 1, regarded as the most basic counting quantity from which all other whole numbers can be built.
On the whiteboard, the teacher labelled a single circle 'unit' to show it represents the number one.
formal mathematical use: unit as 'the number one'
During the fractions lesson, Cyrus cut a single unit of paper into four equal parts for the class to see.
In binary code, only two symbols are needed: the unit and the zero.
Daniel drew a single unit on the board and asked the class to name the number it represents.
文法句型
the unit
a single unit
用法筆記
This sense is restricted to formal or technical mathematical contexts. In everyday speech, speakers use 'one' rather than 'unit' to mean the number 1.
常見錯誤
unit — adjective
1. relating to the price, cost, or size of a single item within a larger group or q
relating to the price, cost, or size of a single item within a larger group or quantity — used especially when comparing deals or calculating expenses per individual piece.
Femi checked the unit price of the olive oil before choosing the larger bottle.
collocation: unit price of + product
The hospital ordered supplies in bulk to lower the unit cost of each syringe.
The receipt lists the unit price of each item separately from the total.
Haruto compared the unit prices of three different brands of coffee beans.
A smaller unit size often means you pay more per gram of laundry powder.
- per-unit
hyphenated, used in the same attributive position ('per-unit cost') but less common
- individual
broader — 'individual price' works in some contexts but lacks the mathematical precision of 'unit price'
- bulk
contrasts the per-item focus ('bulk price' vs 'unit price'); bulk refers to the total for a large quantity
文法句型
unit + noun
用法筆記
Frequently used in attributive position before nouns such as price, cost, size, and quantity. Common in retail, manufacturing, and business contexts where per-item comparisons matter.