division
Pluraldivisions (some meanings)
- 1The act of splitting something into smaller parts.
Like cutting a pizza into slices so everyone gets a share.
The division of the cake into eight pieces took a steady hand.
They argued for hours about a fair division of the chores.
UsageSay the division of something into parts, or between people.
Similarsplit, separation
Oppositemerger, unification, fusion, combination
- 2A group of teams inside a sports league, often put together by skill or by area.
Our soccer team finished first in its division this year.
The league splits its teams into two divisions, one east and one west.
UsageA team plays in a division and can win its division.
Similarleague, tier, conference
- 3A large section of a company that handles one part of its work.
Like one department in a big store that only sells shoes.
The company's electronics division reported record profits.
She runs the marketing division from the Chicago office.
Similardepartment, unit, branch, arm
- 4
- 5A large army unit made up of several smaller groups.
Like a big team made of several smaller squads.
The division marched north before dawn.
An entire division was sent to defend the border.
Note
- 6A strong disagreement that splits people into opposing sides.
Like a crack that splits a group of friends into two teams.
A deep division emerged within the party over the new policy.
The vote exposed sharp divisions among the committee members.
UsageOften plural. Use over for the issue and between for the groups.
Similardisagreement, split, rift, schism, dissension
Oppositeagreement, unity, harmony, consensus
Note
- 7An area that elects one or more members to parliament.
Like one neighborhood that chooses a single person to speak for everyone.
Voters in each division elect one member to the federal parliament.
The new division covers three rural towns.
Similarconstituency, district, seat
Note
- 8A part of a government office, police force, court, museum, or other group that does one kind of work.
My aunt works for the city's water division, which fixes broken pipes.
The museum's education division plans tours for school groups.
Similardepartment, unit, branch, section, bureau
Note
Less common meanings
- 9In math, working out how many times one number fits into another, or one problem worked out this way.
Like sharing candy equally among friends to see how many each one gets.
We learned division in third grade.
She used division to share the marbles equally among the kids.
UsageLearn or be good at division. For one sum, say 10 divided by 2.
Note
- 10A way of voting in parliament where members split into groups to be counted.
Like splitting a class into a 'yes' line and a 'no' line so the teacher can count hands.
The speaker called a division to count the votes.
After the division, the bill passed by twelve votes.
Similarvote
Note
- 11A large group used to sort plants or fungi, just below the kingdom level.
Like sorting a huge pile of books into a few big boxes before the smaller ones.
Mosses belong to a different division than flowering plants.
Scientists placed the newly found fungus in its own division.
Similarphylum
Note
- 12An optional group used to sort animals, placed below the class and above the order.
- 13A rule where each person in a group of debtors only pays their own share of a debt.
- 14One of the four main parts of a COBOL computer program.
- 15A group of organ pipes that work together and are controlled on their own.
- 16A fancy version of a tune that breaks long notes into many quick ones.
- 17A school lesson, in the language used at Eton College.
Practice
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Origin
It comes from Latin dīvīsiō, meaning the act of dividing, from the verb dīvidō, "divide." It reached English through Old French and Middle English.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
- Division ultimately comes from Latin dīvīsiō. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin dīvīsiō means the act of dividing. en.wiktionary.org
- Dīvīsiō derives from the Latin verb dīvidō, meaning divide. en.wiktionary.org
- The word passed through Old French and Middle English. en.wiktionary.org