I. di ‧ vorce 1 S3 /dəˈvɔːs, dɪˈvɔːs $ -ɔːrs/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: Latin divertere 'to divert, leave one's husband' ]
1 . [uncountable and countable] the legal ending of a marriage ⇨ separation :
Why doesn’t she get a divorce?
One in three marriages ends in divorce.
file/sue/petition for divorce (=start the legal divorce process)
His wife has started divorce proceedings.
the rise in the divorce rate
She received the house as part of the divorce settlement (=the amount of money, property etc each person receives in a divorce case) .
The Act extended the grounds (=legal reasons) for divorce.
2 . [countable usually singular] formal the fact of separating two related things
divorce between
the divorce between theory and method
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ get a divorce (=end your marriage)
Their marriage had never been happy and in the end they got a divorce.
▪ go through a divorce (=experience getting a divorce)
I was going through a divorce and it was a very painful time.
▪ want a divorce
She told him she wanted a divorce.
▪ ask (somebody) for a divorce
She asked her husband for a divorce after he had been unfaithful.
▪ a marriage ends in divorce
Five years later, their marriage ended in divorce.
▪ file for divorce ( also petition for divorce formal ) (=start the legal divorce process)
The next day I saw a lawyer and filed for a divorce.
■ adjectives
▪ a bitter divorce (=involving very angry feelings)
After a long and bitter divorce, Wendy was looking forward to starting a new life.
▪ a messy divorce (=complicated and unpleasant to deal with)
She wanted to avoid a messy divorce .
▪ a painful divorce (=causing a lot of sadness)
I have been through a painful divorce, and know what it feels like.
■ divorce + NOUN
▪ the divorce rate (=the number of people who get a divorce)
The country has a high divorce rate.
▪ divorce proceedings (=the legal processes of getting a divorce)
His first marriage was unsuccessful and led to long divorce proceedings.
▪ a divorce settlement (=the amount of money, property etc each person gets in a divorce)
She received a $10 million divorce settlement from her first husband.
▪ a divorce case (=a legal case dealing with a divorce)
It was the biggest divorce case that an English court has dealt with.
▪ a divorce lawyer/court (=one dealing with divorce)
She's a famous New York divorce lawyer.
▪ divorce papers (=documents concerning a divorce)
My husband refused to sign the divorce papers.
■ phrases
▪ grounds for divorce (=acceptable reasons for divorce, according to the law)
Violence and neglect are grounds for divorce.
II. divorce 2 BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: noun : divorcé, divorcee; verb : ↑ divorce ; adjective : ↑ divorced ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] if someone divorces their husband or wife, or if two people divorce, they legally end their marriage ⇨ separate :
David’s parents divorced when he was six.
My father threatened to divorce her.
2 . [transitive] formal to separate two ideas, subjects etc completely
divorce something from something
It is difficult to divorce sport from politics.
3 . [transitive] to stop being involved in an activity, organization, situation etc
divorce yourself from something
Our society has divorced itself from religion.
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THESAURUS
▪ divorce to legally end your marriage:
After seven years, they decided to divorce.
|
She divorced him six months after they were married.
▪ separate to start to live apart from your husband or wife because of problems in your marriage:
They argued all the time and in the end agreed to separate.
|
She separated from her husband and moved to a flat in London.
▪ split up/break up to end a marriage or a romantic relationship:
When Andy was nine, his parents split up.
|
He's just broken up with his girlfriend.
▪ leave somebody to stop living with your husband, wife, or partner, often because you are having a relationship with someone else:
Her husband left her for a younger woman after 27 years of marriage.
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Dan's left me.