divide

American  

[dih-vahyd] / dɪˈvaɪd /

verb (used with object)

divided, dividing

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)

divided, dividing

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

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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Related Words

See separate.

Other Word Forms

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

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

Divide those tickets to ensure they can be distributed over a number of drops and then divide each drop’s $28 tickets across multiple sports.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

This organization helps ensure that mtDNA is reliably passed on when cells divide and that its genes are expressed evenly throughout the mitochondria.

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

"It has been very concerning that an issue as important as safeguarding is being used to attempt to unsettle the church's leadership and divide its congregation," the statement added.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Walmart, General Mills and others that have benefited from robust mass markets are now seeing a stark divide between lower- and middle-income consumers and higher-end customers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Cartesianism, by making an unambiguous divide between the material and the immaterial, left it unclear how angels and demons might be present in the world.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

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