Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act or process of separating something into parts or groups: The action of dividing or partitioning something.
   • A major section or part of a large organization: A distinct, often self-contained unit within a government, business, or institution.
   • A large military unit: A major tactical formation in an army, typically comprising several brigades or regiments.
   • A mathematical operation: The arithmetic process of determining how many times one number is contained within another.
   • A category or level in a ranking system: A grouping based on quality, skill, or performance, often in sports or competitions.
   • A difference of opinion causing separation: Discord or disagreement that splits a group.
   • A major taxonomic group in biology: A rank in the classification of organisms, especially plants, corresponding to a phylum.
   • One of the parts into which something is divided: A distinct section or portion of a whole.

Usage Examples

• Act of Separating:
  • The division of the estate among the heirs was a complex process.
  • Cell division is a fundamental biological process.
• Organizational Unit:
  • She works in the marketing division of the company.
  • The fraud division of the police department handles complex cases.
• Military Unit:
  • The armored division was deployed to the front lines.
  • Two infantry divisions were held in reserve.
• Mathematical Operation:
  • The teacher taught us long division.
  • The division of 12 by 4 equals 3.
• Ranking Category:
  • The team was promoted to the first division.
  • He played baseball in class D for two years.
• Disagreement:
  • The debate caused a deep division within the political party.
• Biological Taxonomy:
  • Ferns belong to the division Pteridophyta.
• Section of a Whole:
  • The final division of the book discusses future implications.

Advanced Usage

• "Division of labour": The assignment of different parts of a manufacturing process or task to different people in order to improve efficiency.
  • Modern industry relies on a complex division of labour.
• "To challenge a division" (Parliamentary Procedure): To demand a formal vote where members physically divide into groups to be counted.
  • The opposition MP challenged the division on the controversial bill.

Variants and Related Words

• Divide (verb): To separate or be separated into parts.
  • Divide the cake into eight equal slices.
• Divisible (adjective): Capable of being divided.
  • 15 is divisible by 3 and 5.
• Divisional (adjective): Relating to a division.
  • The company's divisional managers met quarterly.
• Subdivision (noun): A division of something that has already been divided.
  • The land was split into several subdivisions for housing.

Synonyms

• Separation: The action of moving or being moved apart.
• Partition: The action of dividing something into parts.
• Section: A distinct part or subdivision of something.
• Branch: A division of a large organization.
• Split: A division or disagreement between people.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Divide up: To separate something into parts and share them.
  • They divided up the profits equally.
• Divide out: To distribute or allocate by dividing.
  • Divide out the remaining food among the survivors.

Related Idioms

• A house divided: A group weakened by internal disagreements. (From the biblical phrase "a house divided against itself cannot stand.")
  • The political party, a house divided, struggled to pass any legislation.
• Cross the great divide: To die.
  • After a long illness, he finally crossed the great divide.

Noun

1. the act of dividing or partitioning; separation by the creation of a boundary that divides or keeps apart
2. an arithmetic operation that is the inverse of multiplication; the quotient of two numbers is computed
3. a group of ships of similar type
4. a unit of the United States Air Force usually comprising two or more wings
5. (botany) taxonomic unit of plants corresponding to a phylum
6. (biology) a group of organisms forming a subdivision of a larger category
7. a league ranked by quality
   • he played baseball in class D for two years
   • Princeton is in the NCAA Division 1-AA
8. discord that splits a group
9. an administrative unit in government or business
10. the act or process of dividing
11. one of the portions into which something is regarded as divided and which together constitute a whole
    • the written part of the exam
    • the finance section of the company
    • the BBC's engineering division
12. an army unit large enough to sustain combat
    • two infantry divisions were held in reserve