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hive off

British  

verb

  1. to transfer or be transferred from a larger group or unit

  2. (usually tr) to transfer (profitable activities of a nationalized industry) back to private ownership

"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

Example Sentences

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Albertsons is accusing Kroger leaders of making “lowball offers” to federal regulators to largely keep the most-profitable stores in the combined company, and hive off the weaker-performing ones, according to a court filing unsealed Monday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Meanwhile, Cadiz is taking steps to hive off the infrastructure it has planned to use for its water project, mostly two unused pipelines, into a special purpose subsidiary.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

The deal announced on Tuesday would allow the company to hive off liabilities into a new business unit and use the bankruptcy system as a shield against future legal exposure.

From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 2023

Uber’s rival Lyft said last month it would reduce head count by 13% and hive off its first-party vehicle business.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 2, 2022

The universal bond is so weak, or the individual bond is so strong, that one married pair is deemed a sufficient swarm of human bees to hive off and form a new colony.

From History of American Socialisms by John Humphrey Noyes

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