divide 1 of 2

Definition of dividenext
1
2
as in to separate
to go or move in different directions from a central point The group divided based on those who wanted to go swimming and those who didn't.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
as in to polarize
to cause (people) to break up into opposing groups Opinions about the war divided people who are otherwise likeminded.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

divide

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word divide distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of divide are divorce, part, separate, sever, and sunder. While all these words mean "to become or cause to become disunited or disjointed," divide implies separating into pieces or sections by cutting or breaking.

civil war divided the nation

In what contexts can divorce take the place of divide?

The words divorce and divide are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, divorce implies separating two things that commonly interact and belong together.

cannot divorce scientific research from moral responsibility

When can part be used instead of divide?

While in some cases nearly identical to divide, part implies the separating of things or persons in close union or association.

vowed never to part

When would separate be a good substitute for divide?

In some situations, the words separate and divide are roughly equivalent. However, separate may imply any of several causes such as dispersion, removal of one from others, or presence of an intervening thing.

separated her personal life from her career

When might sever be a better fit than divide?

The words sever and divide can be used in similar contexts, but sever implies violence especially in the removal of a part or member.

a severed limb

When is sunder a more appropriate choice than divide?

While the synonyms sunder and divide are close in meaning, sunder suggests violent rending or wrenching apart.

a city sundered by racial conflict

How is the word divide distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of divide are divorce, part, separate, sever, and sunder. While all these words mean "to become or cause to become disunited or disjointed," divide implies separating into pieces or sections by cutting or breaking.

civil war divided the nation

In what contexts can divorce take the place of divide?

The words divorce and divide are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, divorce implies separating two things that commonly interact and belong together.

cannot divorce scientific research from moral responsibility

When can part be used instead of divide?

While in some cases nearly identical to divide, part implies the separating of things or persons in close union or association.

vowed never to part

When would separate be a good substitute for divide?

In some situations, the words separate and divide are roughly equivalent. However, separate may imply any of several causes such as dispersion, removal of one from others, or presence of an intervening thing.

separated her personal life from her career

When might sever be a better fit than divide?

The words sever and divide can be used in similar contexts, but sever implies violence especially in the removal of a part or member.

a severed limb

When is sunder a more appropriate choice than divide?

While the synonyms sunder and divide are close in meaning, sunder suggests violent rending or wrenching apart.

a city sundered by racial conflict

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of divide
Verb
The initial tiebreaker is based on runs allowed divided by defensive outs recorded in the games between the three teams. Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026 For 47 years, Iranians have been subject to a regime that seeks to divide them, isolate them, oppress them, torture them and dispose of them. Talla Mountjoy, Twin Cities, 11 Mar. 2026
Noun
That is one of the big divisions in today’s societies, the divide between urban elites and people elsewhere and in the countryside. Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Mar. 2026 Located on the east side of the Selkirk watershed divide, this area receives big dumps of snow in the high peaks, and the geography also creates a lens of cold air in and around those peaks, keeping warm air fronts away from the Abbey. Jen Murphy, Robb Report, 8 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for divide
Recent Examples of Synonyms for divide
Verb
  • Proposition 50 also split the sprawling district held by Kiley, a Republican from Rocklin, into six pieces, leaving the Northern California congressman and frequent Newsom critic with few good options.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
  • However, in the aftermath of their legendary Woodstock performance, Country Joe and the Fish split up, and McDonald embarked on his own solo career beginning with 1969’s Thinking of Woody Guthrie, a collection of songs by the folk legend.
    Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 8 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • According to his family’s attorney, Nikolas De Bremaeker, the boy was separated from the medical devices during the deportation process.
    Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
  • The line separating the two is blurry, as both star types experience winds and ejecta before dying.
    Big Think, Big Think, 9 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Anderson has countersued and accused Burkle of smearing his reputation amid a separate business dispute.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Burkle alleges that Anderson stopped paying him in 2014 after becoming angry with him over an unspecified personal dispute, the complaint states.
    Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Judith Martin's Miss Manners column has chronicled the continuous rise and fall of American manners since 1978.
    Judith Martin, Dallas Morning News, 12 Mar. 2026
  • But others in Paine — where 70 people were forcibly disappeared under the Pinochet dictatorship, more than in any other municipality in Chile — are less optimistic about the rise to power of a supporter of the regime.
    John Bartlett, NPR, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Businesses that disconnect from societal needs won’t survive the next decade, but those that, whether quietly or publicly, deliver on their commitments—to their people, their communities, and the world—will be the ones that thrive.
    Sona Khosla, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
  • The emails ask the user to take some kind of action, such as disconnecting or locking their vault.
    James Peckham, PC Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Her choppy layered hair, meanwhile, was worn straight and parted down the center.
    Meg Walters, InStyle, 4 Mar. 2026
  • Her hair was parted in the middle and pulled untidily into a bun at the back.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • But the 7th District has also exposed a fissure among the city’s left-leaning unions, as the CTU has backed Conyears-Ervin and contributed $72,500 to her state central committee fund.
    Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
  • Sandstone and limestone provided fissures and fractures where these hydrocarbons could sit, and caprock kept everything in place.
    Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 6 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Regulating heat in these systems creates the right conditions for peak efficiency and performance, according to a press release.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 9 Mar. 2026
  • Palm oil surged as much as 10%, soybean oil jumped and wheat neared a two-year peak, as the war in the Middle East drove energy and fertilizer costs higher and threatened to tighten supplies across agricultural markets.
    Hallie Gu, Bloomberg, 9 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Divide.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/divide. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.

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