What does "division" mean?
The act or process of dividing anything.
Division
/dɪˈvɪʒn̩/ noun
noun ·Top 500 ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act or process of dividing anything.
- Grammar: division is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: partition, aberration, abstraction, academic department.
- Useful contrasts: dutch solidariteit, french solidarité, global solidarity.
- Usage evidence: The division of Germany was considered a given until 1989.
How to use "division"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "division" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "division" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "division" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "division" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "division" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "partition" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "division", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act or process of dividing anything. uncountable
- 2 the act or process of dividing wordnet
- 3 Each of the separate parts of something resulting from division. countable, uncountable
- 4 the act of dividing or partitioning; separation by the creation of a boundary that divides or keeps apart wordnet
- 5 The process of dividing a number by another. uncountable
Show 23 more definitions
- 6 an arithmetic operation that is the inverse of multiplication; the quotient of two numbers is computed wordnet
- 7 A calculation that involves this process. countable, uncountable
"I've got ten divisions to do for my homework."
- 8 one of the portions into which something is regarded as divided and which together constitute a whole wordnet
- 9 A formation, usually made up of two or three brigades. countable, uncountable
- 10 discord that splits a group wordnet
- 11 A usually high-level section of a large company or conglomerate. countable, uncountable
- 12 an army unit large enough to sustain combat wordnet
- 13 A rank below kingdom and above class, particularly used of plants or fungi, also (particularly of animals) called a phylum; a taxon at that rank. countable, uncountable
"Magnolias belong to the division Magnoliophyta."
- 14 a group of ships of similar type wordnet
- 15 An optional rank subordinate to the infraclass and superordinate to the legion and cohort; a taxon at that rank. countable, uncountable
- 16 a unit of the United States Air Force usually comprising two or more wings wordnet
- 17 A disagreement; a difference of viewpoint between two sides of an argument. countable, uncountable
"“Woke-ism, multiculturalism, all the -isms — they’re not who America is. They distort our glorious founding and what this country is all about. Our enemies stoke these divisions because they know they make us weaker,” he wrote Tuesday. […] In a July 2020 unveiling of a report from his “Commission on Unalienable Rights” that purported that “more rights does not necessarily mean more justice,” Pompeo fanned flames of division stoked by Trump, warning that “the very core of what it means to be an American, indeed the American way of life itself, is under attack” amid nationwide protests for racial justice and against police brutality."
- 18 an administrative unit in government or business wordnet
- 19 A method by which a legislature is separated into groups in order to take a better estimate of vote than a voice vote. countable, uncountable
"The House of Commons has voted to approve the third reading of the bill without a division. The bill will now progress to the House of Lords."
- 20 (botany) taxonomic unit of plants corresponding to a phylum wordnet
- 21 A florid instrumental variation of a melody in the 17th and 18th centuries, originally conceived as the dividing of each of a succession of long notes into several short ones. countable, uncountable
- 22 (biology) a group of organisms forming a subdivision of a larger category wordnet
- 23 A set of pipes in a pipe organ which are independently controlled and supplied. countable, uncountable
- 24 a league ranked by quality wordnet
- 25 A concept whereby a common group of debtors are only responsible for their proportionate sum of the total debt. countable, uncountable
- 26 Any of the four major parts of a COBOL program source code. countable, uncountable
- 27 A lesson; a class. UK, countable, uncountable
- 28 A parliamentary constituency. Australia, countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
dutch solidariteitfrench solidaritéglobal solidarityitalian solidarità
Example
"The division of Germany was considered a given until 1989."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "division"?
Common synonyms include: partition, aberration, abstraction, academic department, act, addition.
How do you use "division" in a sentence?
The division of Germany was considered a given until 1989.
How do you pronounce "division"?
Pronounced /dɪˈvɪʒn̩/.
Etymology
PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English divisioun, from Old French division, from Latin dīvīsiō, dīvīsiōnem, noun of process form from perfect passive participle dīvīsus (“divided”), from dīvidō (“divide”). Doublet of divisio.