di ‧ vi ‧ sion S3 W1 /dəˈvɪʒ ə n, dɪˈvɪʒ ə n/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ divide , ↑ division , ↑ subdivision ; adjective : ↑ divided ≠ ↑ undivided , ↑ divisible ≠ ↑ indivisible , ↑ divisive ; verb : ↑ divide , ↑ subdivide ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Latin divisio , from dividere ; ⇨ ↑ divide 1 ]
1 . SEPARATING [uncountable and countable] the act of separating something into two or more different parts, or the way these parts are separated or shared
division of something between/among/into something
the division of words into syllables
the traditional division of labour (=the way that particular tasks are shared) between husband and wife
2 . DISAGREEMENT [uncountable and countable] disagreement among the members of a group that makes them form smaller opposing groups
division between/within/among something
Can he heal the deep divisions among Republican ranks?
racial/class/gender etc division
The old class divisions had begun to break down.
The Army was plagued by internal divisions.
3 . MATHEMATICS [uncountable] the process of finding out how many times one number is contained in another ⇨ multiplication , long division
4 . PART OF AN ORGANIZATION [countable] a group that does a particular job within a large organization:
the Computer Services Division
5 . MILITARY [countable] a large military group:
a tank division
6 . SPORT [countable] one of the groups of teams that a sports competition is divided into, often based on the number of games they have won
the Premier/First/Second/Third/Fourth Division
a second-division club
7 . IN PARLIAMENT [countable] a process in which members of the British parliament vote for something by dividing into groups:
MPs forced a division on the bill.
Some members supported the opposition in the division lobbies (=the rooms where the vote takes place) .