Word family noun divide division subdivision adjective divided ≠ undivided divisible ≠ indivisible divisive verb divide subdivide
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdividedi‧vide1 /dəˈvaɪd/ ●●● S2 W2 verb 1 separate [intransitive, transitive] if something divides, or if you divide it, it separates into two or more partsdivide something into something Scientists traditionally divide the oceans into zones. The book is divided into six sections.divide into Here, the river divides into three channels.► see thesaurus at separate2 keep separate (also divide off) [transitive]SEPARATE to keep two areas separate from each other The Wall used to divide East and West Berlin.divide something from something Only a thin curtain divided her cabin from his.3 share (also divide up) [transitive]SHARE to separate something into parts and share them between peopledivide something between/among somebody/something The money will be divided equally among the charities.4 spend time/energy [transitive] if you divide your time, energy etc between different activities or places, you spend part of your time doing each activity or in each placedivide something between something/somebody She divides her time between New York and Paris.5 mathematics a) [transitive]HMN to calculate how many times one number contains a smaller number → multiplydivide something by something If you divide 21 by 3, you get 7. ‘What’s six divided by three?’ ‘Two’. b) [intransitive]HMN to be contained exactly in a number one or more timesdivide into 8 divides into 64. 6 disagree [transitive]PPG to make people disagree so that they form groups with different opinions The issue of cloning has sharply divided voters.7 → divide and rule/conquer8 → divided loyalties —divided adjective a deeply divided society The committee was divided over the proposal.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
divide• It is easier to divide by 10 than by 12.• 36 divided by 2 is 18.• The Berlin Wall used to divide East and West Berlin.• The chapel is divided from the rest of the church by a screen.• Some of the big old houses have been divided into apartments.• Mattress matters Conventional mattresses are divided into interior-sprung and foam models.• Clerical wives were divided into those who wore hats on principle and those who, on principle, did not.• A busy highway divides one half of the town from the other.• Cancer cells divide rapidly.• So it divided some of the spoils that resulted from the decision.• The issue dividing the Church was the question of women priests.• The election campaign was bitter, dividing the city.• The choice of a new rabbi has divided the entire congregation.• The school case presents a church-state dispute, the kind that has closely divided the justices for more than two decades.• We divided the pizza into three and had a slice each.• Only a thin partition divides the room.• Between 2000 and 2015, well-educated, well-off Californians had more to bring them together than to divide them.• The unfertilised egg cell began to divide to produce embryos that sometimes developed well.• If you divide twenty by four, you get five.• Fairly soon, the group will be divided up into pairs for free sparring.• He said that dividing up the company would make the units more profitable.divide into• 8 divides into 64 eight times.• The class divided into groups of four and five.divide something from something• The living room is divided from the kitchen area by a white brick wall.divided equally• But health minister Marc-Yvan Cote said the monies won't be divided equally.• His three half-brothers united against him and subsequently the kingdom was divided equally.• The residue of the estate was divided equally among all Mr Farrington's first cousins living at his death.• Unless this occurred, the land was divided equally amongst all the male heirs, reducing the size of Catholic plots.• Ten percent of the entries were local authority schemes with the remainder divided equally between housing associations and private developers.• Fees and expenses would be divided equally between them.• If twins are borne, both with a disability, then the sum insured will be divided equally between them.• It essentially mediated between the sharply contrasting views of the other eight justices, who divided equally on the issue of quotas.divide something by something• Divide 21 by 3.sharply divided• Beyond the financial problems, there is new concern that historically tolerant California is developing a culture sharply divided along racial lines.• However opinion on this was sharply divided among scientists.• He is both sharply divided from his party opponents and emotionally involved in electoral contests.• In the Bible miracles are not as sharply divided from other events as they tend to be in our thinking.• Its sharply divided report now is scheduled to be released next month.• The semi-occlusion of categories between £2 and £39 sharply divided society into two classes.• It was an issue that sharply divided the Marxist Left.• Northern opinion was sharply divided, with party lines much in evidence.deeply divided• Public opinion, as measured in the polls, was deeply divided.• The city had strong Southern leanings and politically was deeply divided.• With a membership deeply divided in its views, will a politicised curriculum be divisive?• Even ethnically united communities are deeply divided on points of doctrine.• The justices are deeply divided on such issues as abortion, affirmative action and the separation of church and state.• By then, the Republicans were deeply divided on the utility of continuing the fight.• The medical profession was deeply divided over eugenics.• Still, the report and public hearing made plain that the subcommittee had been deeply divided over key points.dividedivide2 noun [countable usually singular] 1 SEPARATEa strong difference between the beliefs or way of life of groups of people, that may make them hate each other The North/South divide is characteristic of Britain.cultural/political/racial etc divide people on both sides of the political divide2 American EnglishSG a line of high ground between two river systems SYN watershedExamples from the Corpus
divide• The Continental Divide runs along the length of the Rocky Mountains.• There is no hard-and-fast divide between water-breathing and air-breathing animals.• There is still a great economic and political divide between the east and the west of the country.• The offspring of such a union are never quite accepted - on either side of the racial divide.• From his side of the racial divide, the ordeal of mobilization proved simply redundant.• The racial divide between the city and its suburbs is deepening.• The concept of a north-south divide was always too simplistic and sweeping.• On a brighter note, the survey indicates that the North-South divide is continuing to narrow.• There are a couple of fudge options at hand, but neither entirely bridges the divide.• Meanwhile, the divide between rich and poor has never been greater.• Recently the divide between the two sides has widened.sides of the ... divide• Because both sides of the political divide are benefiting from the traffic, the issue is brushed under the carpet.Origin divide1 (1300-1400) Latin dividere, from videre “to separate” 