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

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Etymology

Origin of divide

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

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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

At a protest in central Paris last week, she told AFP there was a stark divide in resources between the 1,300 Eugene Henaff pupils and those in wealthier areas.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Its individual projections underscore the growing divide between AI winners and the rest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

In other words, the materials that crystallized from the Moon's original magma ocean show no significant compositional divide between the near side and far side.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

ITV and S4C series Santa Maria is about a "class divide" in the city, with both Welsh and English versions.

From BBC ● Oct. 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

Volvo Cars, a Swedish carmaker owned by a Chinese company that has a factory and material sales in the U.S., is no stranger to straddling geopolitical divides.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

A patio divides the two halves, providing access to the outdoors and opportunities to bring more light into both wings of the house.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

That ending, which I won’t spoil here, is where the film most often divides.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026

The model divides how much supply already exists divided by the amount that gets added every year.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

Ayesha directs me down a wide main road that divides the camp into halves.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

My other assets, totaling $6 million, are divided equally.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

A divided Fourth Circuit panel ruled in their favor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

The higher-than-expected reading has left analysts divided over the odds of a second straight interest rate hike at the US central bank's upcoming October 27-28 policy meeting.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

One of the most important discoveries came from a recording made at the very beginning of development, immediately after the fertilized egg divided for the first time.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

Then he divided her hair into six sections: two in the front, two in the middle, and two in the back.

From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold

She says she called the nonbinding referendum to settle a question dividing the province.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

But posties speaking to us anonymously say parcels are still being prioritised, letters left behind, and time wasted in sorting and dividing mail into first and second class.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

The difference is now a regulatory dividing line, at least in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

And the selloff comes right after dollar-yen rate tried to get back above the 200-day moving average, which many chart watchers view as a dividing line between longer-term uptrends and downtrends.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

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

From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys

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Related Words

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

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