2 N‑SING The dividing line between two areas is the boundary between them. □ [+ between ] …the street that was the dividing line between San Francisco and the fields of the Presidio.
divi|na|tion /d I v I ne I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT Divination is the art or practice of discovering what will happen in the future using supernatural means. [FORMAL ]
di|vine /d I va I n/ (divines , divining , divined )
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You use divine to describe something that is provided by or relates to a god or goddess. □ He suggested that the civil war had been a divine punishment. ● di|vine|ly ADV [usu ADV -ed] □ The law was divinely ordained.
2 VERB If you divine something, you discover or learn it by guessing. [LITERARY ] □ [V n] …the child's ability to divine the needs of its parents and respond to them. □ [V that] From this he divined that she did not like him much. [Also V wh]
di|vi ne ri ght (divine rights ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] If someone thinks they have a divine right to something, they think that it is their right to have it, without making any effort. □ A degree does not give you a divine right to wealth.
div|ing /da I v I ŋ/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Diving is the activity of working or looking around underwater, using special breathing equipment. □ …equipment and accessories for diving.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Diving is the sport or activity in which you jump into water head first with your arms held straight above your head, usually from a diving board.
di v|ing bell (diving bells ) N‑COUNT A diving bell is a container shaped like a bell, in which people can breathe air while they work under water.
di v|ing board (diving boards ) N‑COUNT A diving board is a board high above a swimming pool from which people can dive into the water.
di|vin|ity /d I v I n I ti/ (divinities )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Divinity is the study of religion.
2 N‑UNCOUNT [oft with poss] Divinity is the quality of being divine. □ …a lasting faith in the divinity of Christ's word.
3 N‑COUNT A divinity is a god or goddess. □ The three statues above are probably Roman divinities.
di|vi|sible /d I v I z I b ə l/ ADJ If one number is divisible by another number, the second number can be divided into the first exactly, with nothing left over. □ [+ by ] Twenty-eight is divisible by seven.
di|vi|sion ◆◆◇ /d I v I ʒ ə n/ (divisions )
1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft with poss] The division of a large unit into two or more distinct parts is the act of separating it into these parts. □ [+ into ] …Czechoslovakia's division into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
2 N‑UNCOUNT The division of something among people or things is its separation into parts which are distributed among the people or things. □ The current division of labor between workers and management will alter.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Division is the arithmetical process of dividing one number into another number. □ I taught my daughter how to do division at the age of six.
4 N‑VAR A division is a significant distinction or argument between two groups, which causes the two groups to be considered as very different and separate. □ [+ between/among ] The division between the prosperous west and the impoverished east remains.
5 N‑COUNT In a large organization, a division is a group of departments whose work is done in the same place or is connected with similar tasks. □ …the bank's Latin American division.
6 N‑COUNT A division is a group of military units which fight as a single unit. □ Several armoured divisions are being moved from Germany.
7 N‑COUNT In some sports, such as football, baseball, and basketball, a division is one of the groups of teams which make up a league. The teams in each division are considered to be approximately the same standard, and they all play against each other during the season. SYNONYMS division NOUN 4
rift: The serious rifts within the country could lead to civil war.
disagreement: There was a disagreement over who should be invited to the conference.
split: They were accused of trying to provoke a split in the party.
feud: …a long and bitter feud between the state government and the villagers.
schism: The church seems to be on the brink of schism.
di|vi|sion|al /d I v I ʒən ə l/ ADJ [ADJ n] Divisional means relating to a division of a large organization or group. □ An alarm links the police station to the divisional headquarters.
di|vi |sion sign (division signs ) N‑COUNT A division sign is the symbol ÷ used between two numbers to show that the first number has to be divided by the second.
di|vi|sive /d I va I s I v/ ADJ Something that is divisive causes unfriendliness and argument between people. □ Abortion has always been a divisive issue. ● di|vi|sive|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ We live in a world that seems ever more full of rancor and divisiveness.
di|vor|cé /d I vɔː r si/ (divorcés ) N‑COUNT A divorcé is a man who is divorced. [mainly AM ]
di|vorce ◆◇◇ /d I vɔː r s/ (divorces , divorcing , divorced )
1 N‑VAR A divorce is the formal ending of a marriage by law. □ Numerous marriages now end in divorce.
2 VERB If a man and woman divorce or if one of them divorces the other, their marriage is legally ended. □ [V ] My parents divorced when I was very young. □ [n get V -ed] He and Lillian had got divorced. □ [V n] I am absolutely furious that he divorced me to marry her. □ [V ] Mr Gold is divorcing for the second time. □ [get V -ed] I got divorced when I was about 31.