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Definition of divide noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

divide

noun
 
 
/dɪˈvaɪd/
 
/dɪˈvaɪd/
[usually singular]
Word Family
  • divide verb noun
  • divided adjective (≠ undivided)
  • division noun
  • divisional adjective
  • divisive adjective
  • divisively adverb
  • divisiveness noun
  • divisible adjective (≠ indivisible)
  • indivisibly adverb
  • indivisibility noun
  • divisor noun
Idioms
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    difference

  1.  
     a difference between two groups of people or two things that separates them from each other
    • He offered advice on bridging cultural divides.
    • to straddle/cross a divide
    • The referendum revealed a deep urban–rural divide.
    • divide between A and B Will this deepen the divide between the country's rich and poor?
    see also digital divide, North-South Divide
    Extra Examples
    • The leader's speech aimed to close the embarrassing divide in party ranks.
    • a style which straddles the divide between classic and modern
    • The show's appeal crosses the gender divide.
    • the sharp divides in society that help account for the rise of fascism
    • a divide separating those who have access to computers and those who don't
    • People continue to derive their identity from their church—which works well in some ways, but also reinforces sectarian divides.
    • There is a real generational divide in attitudes towards intellectual property and copyright.
    • The film's subject matter will be controversial on both sides of the ideological divide.
    • attempts to address the racial divide in this country
    • The danger is that the internet will simply widen the divide between the information-rich and the information-poor.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • big
    • deep
    • great
    • …
    verb + divide
    • create
    • widen
    • close
    • …
    divide + verb
    • widen
    • narrow
    • open
    • …
    preposition
    • divide between
    • divide in
    See full entry
    2.

    between rivers

  2. (especially North American English) a line of high land that separates two systems of rivers synonym watershed
    3. Word OriginMiddle English (as a verb): from Latin dividere ‘force apart, remove’. The noun dates from the mid 17th cent.
Idioms
bridge the gap/gulf/divide (between A and B)
  1. to reduce or get rid of the differences that exist between two things or groups of people
    • The new degree course aims to bridge the gulf between education and industry.
See divide in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee divide in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: divide

Nearby words

aspiration
noun
 
 
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