division

di·vi·sion | \ də-ˈvi-zhən

Definition of division

1a : the act or process of dividing : the state of being divided

b : the act, process, or an instance of distributing among a number : distribution

2 : one of the parts or groupings into which a whole is divided or is divisible

3 : the condition or an instance of being divided in opinion or interest : disagreement, disunity exploited the divisions between the two countries

4a : something that divides, separates, or marks off

b : the act, process, or an instance of separating or keeping apart : separation

5 : the mathematical operation of dividing something

6a : a self-contained major military unit capable of independent action

b : a tactical military unit composed of headquarters and usually three to five brigades

c(1) : the basic naval administrative unit

(2) : a tactical subdivision of a squadron of ships

d : a unit of the U.S. Air Force higher than a wing and lower than an air force

7a : a portion of a territorial unit marked off for a particular purpose (such as administrative or judicial functions)

b : an administrative or operating unit of a governmental, business, or educational organization

8 : the physical separation into different lobbies of the members of a parliamentary body voting for and against a question

9 : plant propagation by dividing parts and planting segments capable of producing roots and shoots

10 : a group of organisms forming part of a larger group specifically : a primary category of the plant kingdom in biological taxonomy that is typically equivalent to a phylum

11 : a competitive class or category (as in boxing or wrestling)

Other Words from division Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about division

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Choose the Right Synonym for division

part, portion, piece, member, division, section, segment, fragment mean something less than the whole. part is a general term appropriate when indefiniteness is required. they ran only part of the way portion implies an assigned or allotted part. cut the pie into six portions piece applies to a separate or detached part of a whole. a puzzle with 500 pieces member suggests one of the functional units composing a body. a structural member division applies to a large or diversified part. the manufacturing division of the company section applies to a relatively small or uniform part. the entertainment section of the newspaper segment applies to a part separated or marked out by or as if by natural lines of cleavage. the retired segment of the population fragment applies to a part produced by or as if by breaking off. only a fragment of the play still exists

Examples of division in a Sentence

the process of cell division a division of profits into equal shares After learning multiplication, the students were taught division.

Recent Examples on the Web Daimler AG plans to slash headcount at its Mercedes-Benz cars division to help manage the disruptive shift to self-driving, electric cars. — Christoph Rauwald, Fortune, "Daimler Will Cut 10% of Mercedes Management as the Costly Switch to Electric Cars Hits Home," 14 Nov. 2019 Firework recently hired a CEO for its India division, and the startup may soon invest $20 million or more to expand into the country. — Matthew De Silva, Quartz, "US startups are already trying to displace TikTok," 12 Nov. 2019 Gamble Montessori's prior gym was smaller than most courts which provided some difficulties which both overcame to win their divisions. — Alex Harrison, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference hosts first basketball media day," 11 Nov. 2019 The Korean War stripes are on the back of the shoe, which also has James Watt’s name stitched in the shoe, along with his division, battalion and regiment. — Matt Young, Houston Chronicle, "Texans' J.J. Watt releases special Reebook shoe to honor grandfather who served in Korea," 11 Nov. 2019 Soon afterward, Boeing replaced the head of its commercial airplane division, and its board of directors stripped Muilenburg of his title as the company’s chairman. — Alec Macgillis, ProPublica, "“I Will Never Let Boeing Forget Her”," 11 Nov. 2019 There are seven teams in the 8-9 age division of the Holiday Park Flag Football League. — Emmett Hall, sun-sentinel.com, "Patriots put on explosive performance in Holiday Park flag football action," 7 Nov. 2019 Mary Wendham, advocacy director for the arms division of Human Rights Watch, would like to see some of that common sense applied toward a global treaty banning the use of AI on the battlefield. — NBC News, "'Terminator' at 35: How AI and the militarization of tech has evolved," 2 Nov. 2019 Harald O’Brien worked for the Streets and Alleys division of the Works Progress Administration. — Miriam-rachel Newman, Twin Cities, "Remembering St. Paul’s brave: Group from German sister city to honor our fallen World War II soldiers," 2 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'division.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

17 Nov 2019

Time Traveler for division

The first known use of division was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for division

division

noun

English Language Learners Definition of division

: the act or process of dividing something into parts : the way that something is divided

: something that physically divides or separates something else

mathematics : the process of finding out how many times one number is contained in another

See the full definition for division in the English Language Learners Dictionary

division

noun

di·vi·sion | \ də-ˈvi-zhən

Kids Definition of division

1 : the act or process of dividing or separating : the state of being divided or separated cell division

2 : the mathematical process of finding out how many times one number is contained in another

3 : something that divides, separates, or marks off The river is the division between the two towns.

4 : one of the parts or groups that make up a whole

5 : a large military unit

6 : a level of competitors He finished third in his weight division.

7 : a group of plants that ranks above the class and below the kingdom and in scientific classification is typically equal to a phylum

division

noun

di·vi·sion | \ də-ˈvizh-ən

Medical Definition of division

1 : the act or process of dividing : the state of being divided — see cell division

2 : a group of organisms forming part of a larger group specifically : a primary category of the plant kingdom that is typically equivalent to a phylum

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