subdivision
Americannoun
-
subdivisions
plural
-
the act or fact of subdividing.
-
a product of subdividing, as a section of a department.
-
a portion of land divided into lots for real-estate development.
-
Botany, Mycology. a category of related classes within a division or phylum.
noun
-
the process, instance, or state of being divided again following upon an earlier division
-
a portion that is the result of subdividing
-
a tract of land for building resulting from subdividing land
-
a housing development built on such a tract
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of subdivision
1545–55; < Late Latin subdīvīsiōn- (stem of subdīvīsiō ), equivalent to subdīvīs ( us ) (past participle of subdīvīdere to subdivide ) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
When something large or complex is split into smaller parts, you can call each part a subdivision. The act of separating something into parts is also called subdivision. In North America, when someone mentions a subdivision, they probably mean a suburban neighborhood. When planned communities are designed, developers subdivide the plots of land to make it easier to sell them. If a botanist talks about subdivisions, she means something completely different: a ranked group of plants. No matter how the word is used, a subdivision is basically a smaller section of a section, or a part of something that's divided.
Vocabulary lists containing subdivision
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"This reflects a complex history of population subdivision, in which different populations lived in different regions and habitat types."
From Science Daily ● May 20, 2026
Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling is a subdivision of Reyes Holding, which manages major beer and drink distributors and McDonald’s largest global distributor.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
About 20 miles south of downtown Cincinnati, the new Publix sits just past a roundabout at the front entrance of a glitzy subdivision known as Triple Crown.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026
Some eight workers were arrested in a chaotic scene of laborers running away from federal vehicles racing through the three-street subdivision at high speed, the builders said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
Mother avoids the subdivision as if it were a toxic waste dump.
From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg
Housing reforms that increase supply, such as allowing smaller lots in new subdivisions, permitting duplexes, townhomes, and backyard cottages on existing lots, and changing zoning laws to allow housing nearer to jobs, are land-use issues.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
In 2025, Texas passed bills legalizing housing on commercially zoned land and subdivisions of starter homes, which were rendered difficult or illegal to build by municipal zoning laws, large lot requirements, or other design requirements.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
Streets with old cottages give way to newer subdivisions on the south end, where many of the “No Data Center” lawn signs are found.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
Sometimes, he will drive elderly people from their homes in the subdivisions outside Santa Fe to doctors appointments and grocery stores for a minimum of $30.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026
Hoover adopted a similar model, with its classifications and numbered subdivisions, to organize the bureau’s Central Files and General Indices.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
