Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - divide

~1 v 1 »SEPARATE« a) to separate something such as an area, group, or object into two or more parts  (divide sth into)  (Take the orange and divide it into quarters. | The USA is divided into 50 states. | divide sth between)  (Hitler and Stalin divided Poland between them.) b) to become separated into two or more different parts + in/into  (The cell quickly divides in two.) 2 »KEEP SEPARATE« also divide off to keep two areas separate from each other  (The Berlin Wall used to divide East and West Berlin. | divide sth from)  (The chapel is divided from the rest of the church by a screen.) 3 »SHARE« also divide up to separate something into two or more parts and share them between two or more people  (divide sth between/among)  (The money is to be divided up equally among the six grandchildren.) 4 »MATHEMATICS« a) to find out how many times one number is contained in another larger number  (divide sth by sth)  (Divide 21 by 3. | divided by sth)  (6 divided by 3 is 2.) b) to be contained in another, usually larger, number one or more times + into  (8 divides into 64.)  (- compare multiply (2)) 5 »DISAGREE« to make people disagree with each other and form groups with opposing views  (be divided over/about (=disagree about something))  (Voters are bitterly divided over the issue of gun control.) 6 dividing line the difference between two types or groups of similar things + between  (There's a thin dividing line between genius and madness.) 7 divide and rule to control people by making them argue or fight with each other instead of opposing you - divided adj ~2 n C usually singular 1 a difference between two groups of people, especially in their beliefs or way of life, that makes them seem separate from each other  (two politicians on either side of a political divide) 2 AmE a line of high ground between two river systems; watershed (3)