divide

[ dih-vahyd ]
See synonyms for: dividedivideddividing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),di·vid·ed, di·vid·ing.
  1. to separate into parts, groups, sections, etc.

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

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

  2. to cleave; part.

  3. to separate in opinion or feeling; cause to disagree: The issue divided the senators.

  4. to distinguish the kinds of; classify.

  5. Mathematics.

    • to separate into equal parts by the process of mathematical division; apply the mathematical process of division to: Eight divided by four is two.

    • to be a divisor of, without a remainder.

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

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

verb (used without object),di·vid·ed, di·vid·ing.
  1. to become divided or separated.

  2. to share something with others.

  1. to diverge; branch; fork: The road divides six miles from here.

  2. to perform the mathematical process of division: He could add and subtract but hadn't learned to divide.

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

noun
  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.

  1. Archaic. the act of dividing.

Origin of divide

1
First recorded 1325–75; Middle English (from Anglo-French divider), from Latin dīvidere “to separate, divide”

synonym study For divide

1. See separate.

Other words for divide

Opposites for divide

Other words from divide

  • mis·di·vide, verb, mis·di·vid·ed, mis·di·vid·ing.
  • pre·di·vide, verb (used with object), pre·di·vid·ed, pre·di·vid·ing.
  • re·di·vide, verb, re·di·vid·ed, re·di·vid·ing.
  • un·di·vid·ing, adjective

Words Nearby divide

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use divide in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for divide

divide

/ (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

  1. to diverge or cause to diverge in opinion or aim: the issue divided the management

  2. (tr) to keep apart or be a boundary between: the Rio Grande divides Mexico from the United States

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

  4. to categorize; classify

  5. 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

  6. (intr) to diverge: the roads divide

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

noun
  1. mainly US and Canadian an area of relatively high ground separating drainage basins; watershed: See also continental divide

  2. a division; split

Origin of divide

1
C14: from Latin dīvidere to force apart, from di- ² + vid- separate, from the source of viduus bereaved, vidua widow

Derived forms of divide

  • dividable, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for divide

divide

[ dĭ-vīd ]


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

  2. To be a divisor of.

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

  2. To perform the operation of division.

  3. To undergo cell division.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.