division

noun
di·​vi·​sion | \ də-ˈvi-zhən How to pronounce division (audio) \

Definition of division

1a : the act or process of dividing : the state of being divided
b : the act, process, or an instance of distributing among a number : distribution
2 : one of the parts or groupings into which a whole is divided or is divisible
3 : the condition or an instance of being divided in opinion or interest : disagreement, disunity exploited the divisions between the two countries
4a : something that divides, separates, or marks off
b : the act, process, or an instance of separating or keeping apart : separation
5 : the mathematical operation of dividing something
6a : a self-contained major military unit capable of independent action
b : a tactical military unit composed of headquarters and usually three to five brigades
c(1) : the basic naval administrative unit
(2) : a tactical subdivision of a squadron of ships
d : a unit of the U.S. Air Force higher than a wing and lower than an air force
7a : a portion of a territorial unit marked off for a particular purpose (such as administrative or judicial functions)
b : an administrative or operating unit of a governmental, business, or educational organization
8 : the physical separation into different lobbies of the members of a parliamentary body voting for and against a question
9 : plant propagation by dividing parts and planting segments capable of producing roots and shoots
10 : 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
11 : a competitive class or category (as in boxing or wrestling)

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Other Words from division

divisional \ də-​ˈvizh-​nəl How to pronounce divisional (audio) , -​ˈvi-​zhə-​nᵊl \ adjective

Choose the Right Synonym for division

part, portion, piece, member, division, section, segment, fragment mean something less than the whole. part is a general term appropriate when indefiniteness is required. they ran only part of the way portion implies an assigned or allotted part. cut the pie into six portions piece applies to a separate or detached part of a whole. a puzzle with 500 pieces member suggests one of the functional units composing a body. a structural member division applies to a large or diversified part. the manufacturing division of the company section applies to a relatively small or uniform part. the entertainment section of the newspaper segment applies to a part separated or marked out by or as if by natural lines of cleavage. the retired segment of the population fragment applies to a part produced by or as if by breaking off. only a fragment of the play still exists

Examples of division in a Sentence

the process of cell division a division of profits into equal shares After learning multiplication, the students were taught division.
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Recent Examples on the Web

Pulling single digits in Democratic primary polls, O'Rourke hopes his focus on racial divisions will cast him as the uniter needed to bring the country together and drive Trump from the White House. Dallas News, "More secret tape fallout in Texas House, Beto O'Rourke's reboot, Dallas mayor creates crime task force," 20 Aug. 2019 The remark was the latest from a president who has a history of using language that stokes racial and religious divisions. New York Times, "Trump Accuses Jewish Democrats of ‘Great Disloyalty’," 20 Aug. 2019 El Paso is 73-52 and is tied for first in its division with Las Vegas. Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Minors: Aderlin Rodriguez powers El Paso win; Pedro Avila lands on IL," 19 Aug. 2019 Critics of President Donald Trump contend his language has stoked racial and ethnic divisions. Washington Post, "US homeland security chief: Racism is fueling some terrorism," 13 Aug. 2019 White nationalists can be found in many Western countries, as can politicians who exploit racial divisions. The Economist, "America is the only rich country that has frequent mass shootings," 8 Aug. 2019 More likely to go from worst in their division in 2018 to first in 2019 were the Jaguars, Jets, Lions, Raiders and Giants. Emily Horos, azcentral, "NFL predictions: Cardinals not among 'most-improved' in 2019," 5 Aug. 2019 This may play well for the Diamondbacks as four of the five parks in their division (Arizona, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco are all more pitcher-friendly than Seattle. oregonlive.com, "Examining the Seattle Mariners’ moves at the MLB trade deadline," 2 Aug. 2019 Racial tensions have been a top issue in the Democratic campaign, a result not just of the diverse field but also the importance of voters of color in the primaries and Trump’s stoking of racial divisions. Joe Garofoli, SFChronicle.com, "Five takeaways from the Democrats’ policy brawls," 31 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'division.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of division

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

History and Etymology for division

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

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More Definitions for division

division

noun

English Language Learners Definition of division

: the act or process of dividing something into parts : the way that something is divided
: something that physically divides or separates something else
mathematics : the process of finding out how many times one number is contained in another

division

noun
di·​vi·​sion | \ də-ˈvi-zhən How to pronounce division (audio) \

Kids Definition of division