Examples of word division

b

: the act, process, or an instance of distributing among a number : distribution

: one of the parts or groupings into which a whole is divided or is divisible

: the condition or an instance of being divided in opinion or interest : disagreement, disunity

: the mathematical operation of dividing something

: the physical separation into different lobbies of the members of a parliamentary body voting for and against a question

: plant propagation by dividing parts and planting segments capable of producing roots and shoots

: a group of organisms forming part of a larger group

specifically

: a primary category of the plant kingdom in biological taxonomy that is typically equivalent to a phylum

: a competitive class or category (as in boxing or wrestling)

they ran only part of the way

cut the pie into six portions

the manufacturing division of the company

the entertainment section of the newspaper

the retired segment of the population

only a fragment of the play still exists

the process of cell division

a division of profits into equal shares

After learning multiplication, the students were taught division.

Recent Examples on the Web

Petersen stepped down from the chief executive role (after a six-month transition period as co-CEO) in March, handing the reins to someone who knows a thing or two about taking a business to the next level—23-year Amazon veteran and former CEO of Amazon’s worldwide consumer division, Dave Clark.


—Kylie Robison, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2023




Amazon’s latest round of layoffs reportedly includes roughly 100 employees from its video game divisions—Prime Gaming, Game Growth, and Amazon Games’ San Diego studio.


—Stephanie Mlot, PCMAG, 5 Apr. 2023




Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine division, Janssen, was far along.


—Jen Christensen, CNN, 5 Apr. 2023




The extraordinarily rare move resulted in a chaotic and fiery confrontation between lawmakers and supporters opposing the move and has further fractured an already deep political division inside the Tennessee Legislature.


—Kimberlee Kruesi, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Apr. 2023




The vote exposed deep divisions within the party over how to confront concerns over crime and public safety.


—Samantha-jo Roth, Washington Examiner, 4 Apr. 2023




The extraordinarily rare move resulted in a chaotic and fiery confrontation between lawmakers and supporters opposing the move and has further fractured an already deep political division inside the Tennessee Legislature.


—Kimberlee Kruesi, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2023




Rampant homelessness, an opioid epidemic, widening income equality and deep political divisions.


—Sfnext: Fixing Our City Podcast, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 Apr. 2023




But the margin of victory this time — down from the 17 point spread from his first election in 2008 — highlights the deep divisions among an electorate still wary of China’s intentions.


—Paul Mozur, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2023


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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘division.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French devision, from Latin division-, divisio, from dividere to divide

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of division was
in the 14th century

Other forms: divisions

Division is breaking something down into parts, splitting it up. When you have division of labor, everybody does her part.

Division is a noun. It refers to taking a hunk — of pie, clothes, numbers, people — and splitting it into smaller bits. A division in the military sense is a group large enough to go to battle. Blame British mathematician John Pell for the long division you learned in math class (but proceeded to forget once you discovered the calculator). Any way you slice it, division is the process of separating something into smaller parts.

Definitions of division

1. noun

   the act of dividing or partitioning; separation by the creation of a boundary that divides or keeps apart

   synonyms:

   partition, partitioning, sectionalisation, sectionalization, segmentation

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   subdivision

   the act of subdividing; division of something previously divided

   septation

   the division or partitioning of a cavity into parts by a septum

   zoning

   dividing an area into zones or sections reserved for different purposes such as residence and business and manufacturing etc

   type of:

   separation

   the act of dividing or disconnecting

2. noun

   the act or process of dividing

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   parcellation

   the division into parcels

   cleavage

   the act of cleaving or splitting

   bisection

   dividing into two equal parts

   quartering

   dividing into four equal parts

   schism, split

   division of a group into opposing factions

   cut, cutting

   the act of cutting something into parts

   atomisation, atomization, fragmentation

   separating something into fine particles

   branching, fork, forking, ramification

   the act of branching out or dividing into branches

   dichotomisation, dichotomization

   the act of dividing into two sharply different categories

   quantisation, quantization

   the act of dividing into quanta or expressing in terms of quantum theory

   fractionation

   separation into portions

   syllabication, syllabification

   forming or dividing words into syllables

   hyphenation, word division

   division of a word especially at the end of a line on a page

   cut, cutting

   the division of a deck of cards before dealing

   severance, severing

   the act of severing

   dissection

   the act of cutting so as to separate into pieces

   scission

   the act of dividing by cutting or splitting

   slicing

   the act of cutting into slices

   undercut

   a cut made underneath to remove material

   bifurcation

   the act of splitting into two branches

   trifurcation

   the act of splitting into three branches

   divarication

   branching at a wide angle

   fibrillation

   act or process of forming fibrils

   type of:

   separation

   the act of dividing or disconnecting

3. noun

   an arithmetic operation that is the inverse of multiplication; the quotient of two numbers is computed

4. noun

   one of the portions into which something is regarded as divided and which together constitute a whole

   “the BBC’s engineering
   division”

   synonyms:

   part, section

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   frame

   one of the ten divisions into which bowling is divided

   beginning

   the first part or section of something

   middle

   an intermediate part or section

   end

   a final part or section

   high point

   the most enjoyable part of a given experience

   component, constituent, element, factor, ingredient

   an abstract part of something

   chukka, chukker

   (polo) one of six divisions into which a polo match is divided

   frame, inning

   (baseball) one of nine divisions of play during which each team has a turn at bat

   game

   (tennis) a division of play during which one player serves

   bout, round, turn

   (sports) a division during which one team is on the offensive

   first period

   the first division into which the play of a game is divided

   second period

   the second division into which the play of a game is divided

   final period

   the final division into which the play of a game is divided

   half

   one of two divisions into which some games or performances are divided: the two divisions are separated by an interval

   period

   (ice hockey) one of three divisions into which play is divided in hockey games

   quarter

   (football, professional basketball) one of four divisions into which some games are divided

   over

   (cricket) the division of play during which six balls are bowled at the batsman by one player from the other team from the same end of the pitch

   be all and end all, be-all and end-all

   the essential factor; the all-important element; the supreme aim

   plot element

   a component or element of the plot of a story

   point

   a geometric element that has position but no extension

   top, top of the inning

   the first half of an inning; while the visiting team is at bat

   bottom, bottom of the inning

   the second half of an inning; while the home team is at bat

   first half

   the first of two halves of play

   last half, second half

   the second of two halves of play

   maiden, maiden over

   (cricket) an over in which no runs are scored

   counterpoint

   an element, idea, or argument used to create a contrast

   type of:

   concept, conception, construct

   an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances

5. noun

   an army unit large enough to sustain combat

   “two infantry
   divisions were held in reserve”

6. noun

   a unit of the United States Air Force usually comprising two or more wings

7. noun

   a group of ships of similar type

8. noun

   an administrative unit in government or business

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   department, section

   a specialized division of a large organization

   arm, branch, subdivision

   a division of some larger or more complex organization

   academic department

   a division of a school that is responsible for a given subject

   business department

   a division of a business firm

   personnel, personnel department, personnel office, staff office

   the department responsible for hiring and training and placing employees and for setting policies for personnel management

   government department

   a department of government

   payroll, payroll department

   the department that determines the amounts of wage or salary due to each employee

   security, security department

   a department responsible for the security of the institution’s property and workers

   local post office, post office

   a local branch where postal services are available»

   Executive Office of the President, executive branch

   the branch of the United States government that is responsible for carrying out the laws

   legislative branch

   the branch of the United States government that has the power of legislating

   judicial branch

   the branch of the United States government responsible for the administration of justice

   type of:

   administrative body, administrative unit

   a unit with administrative responsibilities

9. noun

   a league ranked by quality

   “Princeton is in the NCAA
   Division 1-AA”

   synonyms:

   class

10. noun

    discord that splits a group

11. noun

    (botany) taxonomic unit of plants corresponding to a phylum

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    Protista, division Protista

    eukaryotic one-celled living organisms distinct from multicellular plants and animals: protozoa, slime molds, and eukaryotic algae

    Thallophyta

    used only in former classifications: comprising what is now considered a heterogeneous assemblage of flowerless and seedless organisms: algae; bacteria; fungi; lichens

    Tracheophyta, division Tracheophyta

    in former classifications: comprising plants with a vascular system including ferns and fern allies as well as seed plants

    Bryophyta, division Bryophyta

    a division of nonflowering plants characterized by rhizoids rather than true roots and having little or no organized vascular tissue and showing alternation of generations between gamete-bearing forms and spore-bearing forms; comprises true mosses (Bryopsida) and liverworts (Hepaticopsida) and hornworts (Anthoceropsida)

    Pteridophyta, division Pteridophyta

    containing all the vascular plants that do not bear seeds: ferns, horsetails, club mosses, and whisk ferns; in some classifications considered a subdivision of Tracheophyta

    Spermatophyta, division Spermatophyta

    seed plants; comprises the Angiospermae (or Magnoliophyta) and Gymnospermae (or Gymnospermophyta); in some classification systems Spermatophyta is coordinate with Pteridophyta (spore producing plants having vascular tissue and roots) and Bryophyta (spore producing plants lacking vascular tissue and roots)

    Phanerogamae

    in former classification systems: one of two major plant divisions, including all seed-bearing plants; superseded by the division Spermatophyta

    Cryptogamia

    in former classification systems: one of two major plant divisions, including all plants that do not bear seeds: ferns, mosses, algae, fungi

    Pteropsida, subdivision Pteropsida

    used in former classifications to include all ferns and flowering plants and divided into the three classes Filicinae and Gymnospermae and Angiospermae

    Zygomycota, Zygomycotina, subdivision Zygomycota, subdivision Zygomycotina

    division of fungi having sexually produced zygospores

    Gymnomycota, Myxomycota, division Gymnomycota, division Myxomycota

    slime molds; organisms having a noncellular and multinucleate creeping vegetative phase and a propagative spore-producing stage: comprises Myxomycetes and Acrasiomycetes; in some classifications placed in the kingdom Protoctista

    Mastigomycota, Mastigomycotina, subdivision Mastigomycota, subdivision Mastigomycotina

    fungi in which the spores and gametes are motile; in some systems placed in the Phycomycetes group with the Zygomycota

    Lichenes, division Lichenes

    comprising the lichens which grow symbiotically with algae; sometimes treated as an independent group more or less coordinate with algae and fungi

    Eumycota, division Eumycota

    true fungi; eukaryotic heterotrophic walled organisms; distinguished from Myxomycota (funguslike slime molds): comprises subdivisions Mastigomycotina; Zygomycotina; Ascomycotina; Basidiomycotina; Deuteromycotina (imperfect fungi)

    Deuteromycota, Deuteromycotina, Fungi imperfecti, subdivision Deuteromycota, subdivision Deuteromycotina

    large and heterogeneous form division of fungi comprising forms for which no sexually reproductive stage is known

    Basidiomycota, Basidiomycotina, subdivision Basidiomycota, subdivision Basidiomycotina

    comprises fungi bearing the spores on a basidium; includes Gasteromycetes (puffballs) and Tiliomycetes comprising the orders Ustilaginales (smuts) and Uredinales (rusts) and Hymenomycetes (mushrooms, toadstools, agarics and bracket fungi); in some classification systems considered a division of kingdom Fungi

    Ascomycota, Ascomycotina, subdivision Ascomycota, subdivision Ascomycotina

    a large subdivision of Eumycota including Hemiascomycetes and Plectomycetes and Pyrenomycetes and Discomycetes; sac fungi; in some classification systems considered a division of the kingdom Fungi

    Lycophyta

    used in some classifications for the class Lycopsida: club mosses

    type of:

    phylum

    (biology) the major taxonomic group of animals and plants; contains classes

12. noun

    (biology) a group of organisms forming a subdivision of a larger category

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    division Archaebacteria

    in some classifications considered a kingdom

    division Eubacteria

    one-celled monerans having simple cells with rigid walls and (in motile types) flagella

    Cyanophyta, division Cyanophyta

    prokaryotic organisms sometimes considered a class or phylum or subkingdom; coextensive with the Cyanophyceae: cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)

    Schizophyta, division Schizophyta

    former term for the Cyanophyta

    Heterokontophyta, division Heterokontophyta

    algae having chlorophyll a and usually c, and flagella of unequal lengths; terminology supersedes Chrysophyta in some classifications

    Chrysophyta, division Chrysophyta

    mostly freshwater eukaryotic algae having the chlorophyll masked by brown or yellow pigment; yellow-green and golden-brown algae and diatoms: Xanthophyceae, Chrysophyceae, Bacillariophyceae; some classification systems superseded or subsumed by Heterokontophyta

    Phaeophyta, division Phaeophyta

    coextensive with class Phaeophyceae; in some classifications subsumed in the division Heterokontophyta

    Euglenophyta, division Euglenophyta

    free-swimming flagellate algae

    Chlorophyta, division Chlorophyta

    large division of chiefly freshwater eukaryotic algae that possess chlorophyll a and b, store food as starch, and cellulose cell walls; classes Chlorophyceae, Ulvophyceae, and Charophyceae; obviously ancestral to land plants

    Rhodophyta, division Rhodophyta

    lower plants; mostly marine and littoral eukaryotic algae

    Cynodontia, division Cynodontia

    a division of the order Therapsida from the Triassic period comprising small carnivorous tetrapod reptiles often with mammal-like teeth

    Dicynodontia, division Dicynodontia

    a division of Therapsida

    Pisces

    a group of vertebrates comprising both cartilaginous and bony fishes and sometimes including the jawless vertebrates; not used technically

    form division

    an artificial taxonomic category for organisms of which the true relationships are obscure

    type of:

    biological group

    a group of plants or animals