What does "split" mean?
A crack or longitudinal fissure.
Split
/splɪt/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A crack or longitudinal fissure.
- Grammar: split is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: ablate, abrupt, absquatulate, abysm.
- Useful contrasts: manifold, unbroken, aggregate population.
- Usage evidence: The committee was split over the project.
How to use "split"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "split" 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 "split" 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 "split" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "split" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- 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 "split" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang 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 "ablate" 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 "split", 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 A crack or longitudinal fissure.
- 2 division of a group into opposing factions wordnet
- 3 A breach or separation, as in a political party; a division.
- 4 the act of rending or ripping or splitting something wordnet
- 5 A piece that is split off, or made thin, by splitting; a splinter; a fragment.
"The kernels split in shelling, known as splits, form a fifth grade of shelled Virginia peanuts."
Show 22 more definitions
- 6 extending the legs at right angles to the trunk (one in front and the other in back) wordnet
- 7 One of the sections of a skin made by dividing it into two or more thicknesses.
- 8 an increase in the number of outstanding shares of a corporation without changing the shareholders' equity wordnet
- 9 A maneuver of spreading or sliding the feet apart until the legs are flat on the floor 180 degrees apart, either sideways to the body or with one leg in front and one behind, thus lowering the body completely to the floor in an upright position.
- 10 (tenpin bowling) a divided formation of pins left standing after the first bowl wordnet
- 11 A workout routine as seen by its distribution of muscle groups or the extent and manner they are targeted in a microcycle.
- 12 a dessert of sliced fruit and ice cream covered with whipped cream and cherries and nuts wordnet
- 13 A split-finger fastball. slang
"He’s got a nasty split."
- 14 an opening made forcibly as by pulling apart wordnet
- 15 A result of a first throw that leaves two or more pins standing with one or more pins between them knocked down.
- 16 a lengthwise crack in wood wordnet
- 17 A split shot or split stroke.
- 18 a promised or claimed share of loot or money wordnet
- 19 A dessert or confection resembling a banana split.
- 20 a bottle containing half the usual amount wordnet
- 21 A unit of measure used for champagne or other spirits: 18.75 centiliters or one quarter of a standard 75-centiliter bottle. Commercially comparable to ¹⁄₂₀ (US) gallon, which is ¹⁄₂ of a fifth.
- 22 A bottle of wine containing 37.5 centiliters, half the volume of a standard 75-centiliter bottle; a demi.
- 23 The elapsed time at specific intermediate points in a race or speedrun.
"In the 3000 m race, his 800 m split was 1:45.32"
- 24 A tear resulting from tensile stresses.
- 25 A division of a stake happening when two cards of the kind on which the stake is laid are dealt in the same turn.
- 26 A recording containing songs by multiple artists; a split single or split album.
- 27 The division of a single taxon into two or more taxa; as opposed to a lump.
"[I]t would be a rare split in that it would be unlikely to result in an armchair tick for any birders, living or dead."
Verb
- 1 To divide fully or partly along a more or less straight line. ergative, transitive
"He has split his lip."
- 2 come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure wordnet
- 3 To break along the grain fully or partly along a more or less straight line. intransitive
- 4 separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument wordnet
- 5 To share; to divide. transitive
"We split the money among three people."
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 go one's own way; move apart wordnet
- 7 To leave. intransitive, slang, transitive
"Let's split this scene and see if we can find a real party."
- 8 discontinue an association or relation; go different ways wordnet
- 9 To separate. intransitive
"Did you hear Dick and Jane split? They'll probably get a divorce."
- 10 separate into parts or portions wordnet
- 11 To (cause to) break up; to throw into discord. ambitransitive
"Accusations of bribery split the party just before the election."
- 12 To factor into linear factors. intransitive, transitive
"In the first case X²-2, the minimum polynomial of #92;sqrt 2, splits completely over #92;Q(#92;sqrt 2); in the second case we see that X³-2, the minimum polynomial of 3#92;sqrt 2, does not split completely over #92;Q(3#92;sqrt 2)."
- 13 To factor into linear factors.; To be expressable as a direct sum of sub-modules, -algebras, etc. intransitive, transitive
- 14 To factor into linear factors.; To contain an object which may be so expressed. intransitive, transitive
- 15 To be broken; to be dashed to pieces.
"The ship splits on the rock."
- 16 To burst out laughing. intransitive
- 17 To divulge a secret; to betray confidence; to peach. dated, intransitive, slang
""[…]I split, and tell all […]""
- 18 For both teams involved in a doubleheader to win one game each and lose another. especially
"Boston split with Philadelphia in a doubleheader, winning the first game 3-1 before losing 2-0 in the nightcap."
- 19 To vote for candidates of opposite parties. intransitive
Adjective
- 1 Divided. not-comparable
"Republicans appear split on the centerpiece of Mr. Obama's economic recovery plan."
- 2 Having the middle object (group, module, etc.) equal to the direct sum of the others. not-comparable
- 3 Comprising half decaffeinated and half caffeinated espresso. not-comparable
- 4 Divided so as to be done or executed part at one time or price and part at another time or price. not-comparable, usually
- 5 Given in sixteenths rather than eighths. historical, not-comparable
"10+³⁄₁₆ is a split quotation."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Designating ordinary stock that has been divided into preferred ordinary and deferred ordinary. London, not-comparable
Adjective
- 1 (especially of wood) cut or ripped longitudinally with the grain wordnet
- 2 having been divided; having the unity destroyed wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A port city in Croatia.
Example
"The committee was split over the project."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "split"?
Common synonyms include: ablate, abrupt, absquatulate, abysm, abyss, aggravated.
How do you use "split" in a sentence?
The committee was split over the project.
How do you pronounce "split"?
Pronounced /splɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Attested since about 1567, from Middle Dutch splitten (“to split”) and/or Middle Low German splitten (“to split”), both ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *splittjan, an intensive form of Proto-West Germanic *splītan (“to split”), from Proto-Germanic *splītaną (whence Danish splitte, Low German splieten, German spleißen), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pley- (“to split, splice”). Compare Middle English ysplett (“split”, past participle of splatten (“to split”)), Old English speld (“splinter”), Old High German spaltan (“to split”), Middle Irish slis (“splinter”), Lithuanian spaliai (“flax sheaves”), Czech půl (“half”), Old Church Slavonic рас-плитати (ras-plitati, “to cleave, split”).
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Serbo-Croatian Splȉt, from Italian Spalato, from Latin Spalatum, from Ancient Greek Σπάλαθος (Spálathos) and Ἀσπάλαθος (Aspálathos), from ἀσπάλαθος (aspálathos, “spiny broom”), a common shrub in the area.