divide

1 of 2

verb

di·​vide də-ˈvīd 

divided; dividing

transitive verb

1

a

: to separate into two or more parts, areas, or groups

divide the city into wards

b

: to separate into classes, categories, or divisions

divide history into epochs

c

: cleave, part

a ship dividing the waves

2

a

: to separate into portions and give out in shares : distribute

divide profits

b

: to possess, enjoy, or make use of in common

divide the blame

c

: apportion

divides her time between the office and home

3

a

: to cause to be separate, distinct, or apart from one another

fields divided by stone walls

b

: to separate into opposing sides or parties

the issues that divide us

c

: to cause (a parliamentary body) to vote by division

4

a

: to subject (a number or quantity) to the operation of finding how many times it contains another number or quantity

divide 42 by 14

b

: to be used as a divisor with respect to (a dividend)

4 divides 16 evenly

c

: to use as a divisor

—used with into

divide 14 into 42

intransitive verb

1

: to perform mathematical division

2

a(1)

: to undergo replication, multiplication, fission, or separation into parts

(2)

: to branch out

b

: to become separated or disunited especially in opinion or interest

dividable

də-ˈvī-də-bəl 

adjective

divide

2 of 2

noun

1

: an act of dividing

2

a

: a dividing ridge between drainage areas

b

: a point or line of division or disagreement

Synonyms

Verb

• break up
• decouple
• disassociate
• disconnect
• disjoin
• disjoint
• dissever
• dissociate
• disunite
• divorce
• part
• ramify
• resolve
• separate
• sever
• split
• sunder
• uncouple
• unlink
• unyoke

Choose the Right Synonym for divide

separate, part, divide, sever, sunder, divorce mean to become or cause to become disunited or disjointed.

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

part implies the separating of things or persons in close union or association.

vowed never to part

divide implies separating into pieces or sections by cutting or breaking.

civil war divided the nation

sever implies violence especially in the removal of a part or member.

a severed limb

sunder suggests violent rending or wrenching apart.

a city sundered by racial conflict

divorce implies separating two things that commonly interact and belong together.

cannot divorce scientific research from moral responsibility

distribute, dispense, divide, deal, dole out mean to give out, usually in shares, to each member of a group.

distribute implies an apportioning by separation of something into parts, units, or amounts.

distributed food to the needy

dispense suggests the giving of a carefully weighed or measured portion to each of a group according to due or need.

dispensed wisdom to the students

divide stresses the separation of a whole into parts and implies that the parts are equal.

three charitable groups divided the proceeds

deal emphasizes the allotment of something piece by piece.

deal out equipment and supplies

dole out implies a carefully measured portion of something that is often in short supply.

doled out what little food there was

Examples of divide in a Sentence

Verb

She divided the pie into eight pieces.

The equator divides the Earth into two hemispheres.

The river divides after the bridge.

A tall fence divides the two yards.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Today, Smith divides him time among homes in Connecticut and Phoenix and a farm in Finland. —Sal Cataldi, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024

Experts are divided In 2022, Huston purchased the building where the company sits today. —Georgann Yara, The Arizona Republic, 18 Apr. 2024

But the internet was divided as to whether or not the clip was actually made by Drake. —Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 18 Apr. 2024

The Women by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s Press: $30) An intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided. —The California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024

Portland is essentially divided into two parts: on-peninsula (where the bulk of the following recommendations are located) and off-peninsula (including the outskirts and many residential neighborhoods). —Erinne Magee, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2024

These colorful accessories are divided into four categories: initials, zodiacs, colors, and symbols. —Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 17 Apr. 2024

The biggest issue the former couple faces is how to divide profits from the intellectual property associated with Tatum’s trilogy of Magic Mike movies. —Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024

Enter Plane Jane, an apparent social experiment implemented by the U.S. government and armed with arresting good looks both in and out of drag (a recipe for fandom catnip) as well as an arsenal of shade that sharply divided fans and queens alike. —Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2024

Noun

However, the internship divide means the students who have access to these important opportunities are typically those who already have resources and connections. —Byjane Swift, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024

The divide over foreign aid Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks during a news conference in the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. —Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2024

Yet as the Republican Party’s electoral grip on the white South tightened, and without the charismatic leadership of Reagan to unite the party, the divide between Reaganite fiscal conservatives and southern cultural conservatives deepened from the 1990s onwards. —TIME, 12 Apr. 2024

Perceptions about gender inequality drive political differences Compared to democracies with longer histories, South Korea's political gender divide is a relatively recent phenomenon. —Se Eun Gong, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024

Since more than 1 million people sought refuge in Europe in 2015 to 2016, the E.U. has been struggling to find a common and effective approach to managing migration and asylum, with wide divides between those countries that opened their doors and those that slammed them shut. —Beatriz Ríos, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024

The divide has drawn comparisons to the Great Schism, which a millennium ago separated the Orthodox East and the Catholic West. —Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024

The Lives of Others (2006) Many of the best spy movies mine the divide between duty and conscience in an infamously unfeeling business. —Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024

Herrington described a divide between families as, on one side, kids who live in spacious single-family homes, and, on the other, kids who live in apartment complexes, many of whom use Section 8 vouchers. —Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Latin dividere, from dis- + -videre to separate — more at widow

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1642, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing divide

• digital divide
• divide and conquer
• divide and rule
• divide evenly
• great divide

Kids Definition

divide

1 of 2 verb

di·​vide də-ˈvīd 

divided; dividing

1

a

: to separate into two or more parts or pieces

b

: to separate into classes or categories

c

: cleave entry 2, part

2

a

: to give out in shares

b

: to own or use in common : share

3

: to cause to be separate, different, or apart from one another

4

a

: to perform or use in mathematical division

b

: to subject (a number) to the operation of finding how many times it contains another number

divide 42 by 14

c

: to use as a divisor

divide 14 into 42

5

a

: to undergo cell division

the cell divides

b

: branch entry 2 sense 2, fork

divide

2 of 2 noun

: a dividing ridge between drainage areas : watershed

Medical Definition

divide

verb

di·​vide də-ˈvīd 

divided; dividing

transitive verb

: to separate into two or more parts

divide a nerve surgically

intransitive verb

: to undergo replication, multiplication, fission, or separation into parts

actively dividing cells