divide

American  

[dih-vahyd] / dɪˈvaɪd /

verb (used with object)

• divides,
  present (3rd person singular)
• divided,
  past participle,  past
• dividing
  present participle

1. to separate into parts, groups, sections, etc.

   Antonyms:

   unite

2. to separate or part from something else; sunder; cut off.

   Synonyms:

   shear, sever

3. to deal out in parts; distribute in shares; apportion.

   Synonyms:

   portion, partition

4. to cleave; part.

5. to separate in opinion or feeling; cause to disagree.

   The issue divided the senators.

   Synonyms:

   estrange, alienate

6. to distinguish the kinds of; classify.

   Synonyms:

   distribute, arrange, sort

7. Mathematics.

   1. to separate into equal parts by the process of mathematical division; apply the mathematical process of division to.

      Eight divided by four is two.

   2. to be a divisor of, without a remainder.

8. to mark a uniform scale on (a ruler, thermometer, etc.).

9. British Government. to separate (a legislature, assembly, etc.) into two groups in ascertaining the vote on a question.

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verb (used without object)

• divides,
  present (3rd person singular)
• divided,
  past participle,  past
• dividing
  present participle

1. to become divided or separated.

2. to share something with others.

3. to diverge; branch; fork.

   The road divides six miles from here.

4. to perform the mathematical process of division.

   He could add and subtract but hadn't learned to divide.

5. British Government. to vote by separating into two groups.

noun

• divides
  plural

1. a division.

   a divide in the road.

2. Physical Geography. the line or zone of higher ground between two adjacent streams or drainage basins.

3. Archaic. the act of dividing.

divide British  

/ dɪˈvaɪd /

verb

1. to separate or be separated into parts or groups; split up; part

2. to share or be shared out in parts; distribute

3. to diverge or cause to diverge in opinion or aim

   the issue divided the management

4. (tr) to keep apart or be a boundary between

   the Rio Grande divides Mexico from the United States

5. (intr) (in Parliament and similar legislatures) to vote by separating into two groups

6. to categorize; classify

7. to calculate the quotient of (one number or quantity) and (another number or quantity) by division

   to divide 50 by 10

   to divide 10 into 50

   to divide by 10

8. (intr) to diverge

   the roads divide

9. (tr) to mark increments of (length, angle, etc) as by use of an engraving machine

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noun

1. an area of relatively high ground separating drainage basins; watershed See also continental divide

2. a division; split

divide Scientific  

/ dĭ-vīd′ /

1. To subject (a number) to the process of division.

2. To be a divisor of.

3. To use (a number) as a divisor.

4. To perform the operation of division.

5. To undergo cell division.

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Synonym Usage

See separate.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• misdivide
  verb
• redivide
  verb
• predivide
  verb (used with object)
• dividable
  adjective
• undividing
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• divides
  plural

Participles

• dividing
  present
• divided
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• divide
  simple
• divides
  simple
• have divided
  perfect
• has divided
  perfect
• am dividing
  progressive
• are dividing
  progressive
• is dividing
  progressive
• have been dividing
  perfect progressive
• has been dividing
  perfect progressive

Past

• divided
  simple
• had divided
  perfect
• was dividing
  progressive
• were dividing
  progressive
• had been dividing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will divide
  simple
• will have divided
  perfect
• will be dividing
  progressive
• will have been dividing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of divide

First recorded 1325–75; Middle English (from Anglo-French divider ), from Latin dīvidere “to separate, divide”

Explanation

When you divide something, you separate it into different parts. A pizza maker may divide a ball of dough into two parts to make two pies, or you might even divide a stick of gum in half to share it with a friend. The verb divide can refer to the splitting apart of anything, whether it’s pizza dough, gum, time, a country, or a political group. Math types probably already know that the word also can refer to a mathematical function involving figuring out how many times a certain number contains another number. As a noun, divide means a hostile split between two groups, such as a growing divide between conservative and liberal groups.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

divide divides divided dividing

Reaction across online forums has highlighted a divide among users about whether the update will get more people using Bumble - or if it makes it "just like any other dating app".

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

“I thought, it would be amazing if I could divide this project by the process of the kitchen.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

“Income inequality and the wealth divide in America have widened dramatically, and so has the gap in longevity and health between rich and poor.”

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026

Vitamin C is involved in enzymes that influence how our DNA is “marked” and read, and in how cells divide and respond to low oxygen – important in cancer behavior.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

Oddly enough, when Pythagoras put the bridge at a place that did not divide the string into a simple ratio, the plucked notes did not meld well.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

It’s a conflict that carries hues of classic rural-urban divides.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

How the winning and losing candidates—and those candidates’ supporters—treat each other over the next few months will help determine whether those divides heal in time for November.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

Instead, Biden said he wanted to devote his time to speaking about addiction and recovery, which he described as a cause capable of bridging America's political divides.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Every time a healthy cell divides, its telomeres become a little shorter.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 1, 2026

Bailey nods and she shuffles the cards again, over and under, and then divides them into three piles and places them in front of him, above the card with the knight.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

The ensuing drama has left the town divided.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

In eusocial colonies, reproduction is divided between queens and workers, creating highly cooperative societies with specialized roles.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

Tyler, whose real name was Gaynor Hopkins, was born and raised in a traditional coal mining village northwest of Swansea, and divided her time between south Wales and Portugal in recent years.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

Union households support the measure, while non-union families are evenly divided about it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

The Hitler Youth divided the neighborhoods into sections, to make sure no house was overlooked.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

A day after being forced out, Fedorov on Thursday held an extraordinary press conference at which he accused the commander of dividing the country.

From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026

At his own stampede speech, Hogan called separatism "a poison" dividing families across the province.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

When the scientists reduced E2F3 levels in RB-deficient cancer cells, the tumors stopped dividing, could no longer form clusters, and in some cases died completely.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 4, 2026

The dividing line between the East and the West during the Cold War would end up running straight through Germany.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

“He’s dividing us up for work detail,” said Mother.

From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys

Related Words

• break
• break down
• carve
• cut
• isolate
• partition
• segregate
• split
• subdivide
• tear