divorce

¹

[dih-vawrs]

noun

1. the act of legally ending a marriage.

   After the divorce, they shared custody of the children.

2. any formal separation of spouses according to established custom.

3. the act of legally ending a formal contract before its term is up, especially in professional sports.

   If there’s a personality clash between the player and the manager, divorce may be the only way out.

   It’s a guide to corporate divorce, laying out who pays what to whom at the early termination of a contract.

4. a total separation between two things; disunion.

   Activists denounced the divorce between thought and action when it came to protecting human rights.

verb (used with object)

divorced, divorcing 

1. to legally end the marriage contract between oneself and (one's spouse).

   She divorced her husband.

2. to permanently separate (a couple) through a judicial declaration that ends their marriage contract.

   The judge divorced the couple.

3. to separate or cut off.

   His view of the situation has become totally divorced from reality.

   Synonyms: disjoin, detach, sever, disconnect, divide, dissociate, rupture, disjunction, dissolution, breakup, annulment

verb (used without object)

divorced, divorcing 

1. to legally end one’s marriage.

   After 16 years together, they divorced.

   I never thought about money till I divorced.

divorcé

²

[dih-vawr-sey, -vohr-, -vawr-sey, -vohr-]

noun

1. a divorced man.

divorce

¹

/ dɪˈvɔːs /

noun

1. the dissolution of a marriage by judgment of a court or by accepted custom

2. a judicial decree declaring a marriage to be dissolved

3. a separation, esp one that is total or complete

verb

1. to separate or be separated by divorce; give or obtain a divorce (to a couple or from one's spouse)

2. (tr) to remove or separate, esp completely

divorcé

²

/ dɪˈvɔːseɪ /

noun

1. a man who has been divorced

Gender Note

See fiancée.

Other Word Forms

• divorceable adjective
• divorcer noun
• divorcive adjective
• nondivorced adjective
• undivorceable adjective
• undivorced adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of divorce¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin dīvortium “separation,” from dīvort(ere) variant of dīvertere “to turn away” ( divert ) + -ium -ium

Origin of divorce²

First recorded in 1805–15; from French, noun use of masculine past participle of divorcer, from Medieval Latin dīvortiāre “to divorce,” derivative of Latin dīvortium “separation”; divorce

Word History and Origins

Origin of divorce¹

C14: from Old French, from Latin dīvortium from dīvertere to separate; see _divert

Example Sentences

This is the heart of his argument: a court completely divorced from the political will of the British people is now making the UK do things that are far beyond its original remit.

Read more on BBC

The trailer shows several women — including those portrayed by Brooke Shields, Elizabeth Berkley and Judith Light — seeking the services of “the best divorce lawyers in town.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Dehn and others have characterized that reading of the code as semantic and divorced from its legal context.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Over the years Turner had commented a number of times on his estrangement from his mother since his parents’ divorce.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Dodgen-Magee and her husband had helped Laura recognize the signs of an abusive relationship and supported her when she filed for divorce.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• annulment 
• breakup 
• dissolution 
• separation 
• split