carve up

British  

verb

1. to cut (something) into pieces

2. to divide or dismember (a country, land, etc)

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noun

1. informal an act or instance of dishonestly prearranging the result of a competition

2. slang the distribution of something, as of booty

Example Sentences

The author was 5 years old when war broke out and Hitler and Stalin carved up her country.

From The Wall Street Journal

And London’s allegiances are carved up at least half a dozen ways all over the Underground map.

From The Wall Street Journal

This research, published in the European Journal of Ageing, looked at 55 cases involving heirs, donors and professionals, attempting to understand people’s motivations and mistakes when carving up their estate among their heirs.

From MarketWatch

As development elsewhere carves up habitat, Fales said, the public and private lands his cattle graze are increasingly shared by elk, bears, mountain lions and other species.

From Salon

There are also criticisms of the potential carving up of ecologically or culturally significant locations abroad to feed European industries.

From BBC

Related Words

• divide
• share
• slice