split-off

American  

[split-awf, -of] / ˈsplɪtˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

noun

1. the act of separating or splitting away from something else.

2. something that has split or has been split from something else.

3. Commerce. a process of reorganizing a corporate structure whereby the capital stock of a division or subsidiary of a corporation or of a newly affiliated company is transferred to the stockholders of the parent corporation in exchange for part of the stock of the latter.

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Etymology

Origin of split-off

First recorded in 1855–60; noun use of verb phrase split off

Compare meaning

How does split-off compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• spin-off vs. split-off

Example Sentences

Occidental wouldn’t have to pay taxes on the sale of the chemical business, which would be characterized as a split-off for tax purposes.

From Barron's • Oct. 1, 2025

D. S.A. started in 1982, a rare group in the faction-happy left-wing firmament created from a merger rather than a split-off.

From New York Times • Aug. 6, 2019

Liberty Interactive was itself split-off from Liberty Media in 2013.

From Reuters • Apr. 4, 2017

And, last but not least, we’ll probably see a new, permanently manned Russian Orbital Station by 2024—an independent split-off of the soon-to-be-retired ISS.

From Slate • Mar. 21, 2017

It may also be explained by a dissociation of consciousness, in which the split-off stream deals with the paralysed limb and therefore the main stream of consciousness knows nothing about the prick.

From Spiritualism and the New Psychology An Explanation of Spiritualist Phenomena and Beliefs in Terms of Modern Knowledge by Culpin, Millais