division

noun di·vi·sion \ də-ˈvi-zhən \

Updated on: 19 May 2018

Definition of division

1 a : 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

4 a : 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

6 a : 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

7 a : 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)

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divisional

play \-ˈvizh-nəl, -ˈvi-zhə-nᵊl\ adjective

See division defined for English-language learners

See division defined for kids

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 of division from the Web

There's no guarantee the favorites will even make it to the final because of the number of quality pitchers and teams in the division.

— eric sondheimer, latimes.com, "Harvard-Westlake is seeded No. 1 in Southern Section Division 1 baseball playoffs," 15 May 2018
One Best in Show award is given in each category across all divisions.

— allan vought, The Aegis, "Staffers earn numerous awards, Aegis named top news organization," 15 May 2018
Based on a boys’ enrollment of 435 students, Nashoba is slotted in D5, but based on the 2017-2021 alignment criteria, vocational schools are dropped three divisions.

— craig larson, BostonGlobe.com, "Nashoba Valley Tech football loses appeal, must play in Division 7," 15 May 2018
The Times entries were judged in the division for non-daily publications with circulation between 10,000 and 20,000.

— staff report, Columbia Flier, "Journalists honored by regional press association," 14 May 2018
The top two teams in the division, Chandler Hamilton and Phoenix Pinnacle certainly are familiar with each other.

— katherine fitzgerald, azcentral, "Schuld strikes out 14 as Pinnacle softball finds redemption over Hamilton in 6A title," 14 May 2018
Oran Henderson, a brigade commander in the division, stood trial and was acquitted of cover-up charges.

— richard goldstein, New York Times, "Ernest Medina, Army Captain Acquitted in My Lai Massacre, Dies at 81," 13 May 2018
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization rose 17% in the division.

— lukas i. alpert, WSJ, "News Corp Revenue Lifted by Real Estate and Book Units," 10 May 2018
The number of teams in each division will be predetermined.

— staff report, courant.com, "CIAC Sticking With Five-Division Format For Boys Basketball," 9 May 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of division

Middle English, from Anglo-French devision, from Latin division-, divisio, from dividere to divide

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

division Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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

DIVISION Defined for English Language Learners

division

noun

Definition of division for English Language Learners

: 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

DIVISION Defined for Kids

division

noun di·vi·sion \ də-ˈvi-zhən \

Definition of division for Students

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

Medical Dictionary

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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