Meaning & use
divide
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To split something into smaller parts or groups.
Grammar: With an object: divide the class into teams; without one: the road divides here.
Patterns
- divide something into parts
- divide something between people
- divide something among people
Divide the dough into four equal pieces.
The teacher divided the students into small groups.
The path divides just past the bridge.
verbtransitivemathematics
To find how many times one number fits into another.
Grammar: Takes an object, often followed by by: divide ten by two.
Patterns
- divide a number by a number
If you divide twelve by three, you get four.
Divide the total cost by the number of guests.
verbtransitive
To cause people to disagree or take opposing sides.
Grammar: Takes an object: the issue divided the town.
Patterns
- divide people
- divide opinion
The proposed highway has divided the community.
Opinion is sharply divided on the new law.
nounusually singular
A deep difference or gap between two groups or sets of ideas.
Grammar: Often takes an adjective and a describing word: the digital divide.
Patterns
- the divide between people
- a divide over something
A wide divide separates rich and poor neighborhoods.
The vote exposed a deep political divide.
nouncountableAmerican
A ridge of high ground that separates two river systems.
Grammar: Often capitalized in a name: the Continental Divide.
Patterns
- the divide between rivers
Rain falling west of the divide flows toward the Pacific.
They hiked along the divide for two days.
Word forms
| third person singular | divides |
|---|---|
| past tense | divided |
| past participle | divided |
| -ing form | dividing |
| plural | divides |
Common combinations
- divide into
- The novel is divided into three parts.
- divide equally
- They divided the inheritance equally.
- deeply divided
- The country remains deeply divided.
- bridge the divide
- The mayor hopes to bridge the divide between the two sides.
- divide and conquer
- The invaders used a divide and conquer strategy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- split
- Split is more informal and suggests a sudden or rough break, whereas divide can be careful and even.
- separate
- Separate stresses keeping things apart, while divide stresses cutting one whole into parts.
- share
- Share focuses on giving parts to people, while divide can describe the cutting without anyone receiving anything.
Opposites
Word family
- division noun
- the act of dividing, or a section of a larger organization
- divisive adjective
- causing disagreement between people
- divisible adjective
- able to be divided, especially without a remainder
- dividend noun
- a share of profit paid to owners, or the number being divided
- divider noun
- something that separates areas or parts
Commonly confused: divide or devise?
divide vs devise
Devise means to invent or plan something; it is not about splitting things apart.
Practice
The new policy has ___ opinion among parents, with half in favor and half against.
Choose one answer.
Divide opinion means to cause people to take opposing sides. The other verbs are arithmetic or unrelated and do not collocate with opinion.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “divide”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.