divorce

¹

[ dih-vawrs ]

noun

1. the act of legally ending a marriage: Compare judicial separation ( def ).

   After the divorce, they shared custody of the children.

2. any formal separation of spouses according to established custom.
3. the act of legally ending a formal contract before its term is up, especially in professional sports:

   If there’s a personality clash between the player and the manager, divorce may be the only way out.

   It’s a guide to corporate divorce, laying out who pays what to whom at the early termination of a contract.

4. a total separation between two things; disunion:

   Activists denounced the divorce between thought and action when it came to protecting human rights.

verb (used with object)

, di·vorced, di·vorc·ing.

1. to legally end the marriage contract between oneself and (one's spouse):

   She divorced her husband.

2. to permanently separate (a couple) through a judicial declaration that ends their marriage contract:

   The judge divorced the couple.

3. to separate or cut off:

   His view of the situation has become totally divorced from reality.

   Synonyms: disjoin, detach, sever, disconnect, divide, dissociate, rupture, disjunction, dissolution, breakup, annulment

verb (used without object)

, di·vorced, di·vorc·ing.

1. to legally end one’s marriage:

   After 16 years together, they divorced.

   I never thought about money till I divorced.

divorcé

²

[ dih-vawr-sey, -vohr-, -vawr-sey, -vohr- ]

noun

1. a divorced man.

divorce

¹

/ dɪˈvɔːs /

noun

1. the dissolution of a marriage by judgment of a court or by accepted custom
2. a judicial decree declaring a marriage to be dissolved
3. a separation, esp one that is total or complete

verb

1. to separate or be separated by divorce; give or obtain a divorce (to a couple or from one's spouse)
2. tr to remove or separate, esp completely

divorcé

²

/ dɪˈvɔːseɪ /

noun

1. a man who has been divorced

Gender Note

See fiancée.

Derived Forms

• diˈvorcer, noun
• diˈvorcive, adjective
• diˈvorceable, adjective

Other Words From

• di·vorce·a·ble adjective
• di·vorc·er noun
• di·vor·cive adjective
• non·di·vorced adjective
• un·di·vorce·a·ble adjective
• un·di·vorced adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of divorce¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin dīvortium “separation,” from dīvort(ere) variant of dīvertere “to turn away” ( divert ) + -ium -ium

Origin of divorce²

First recorded in 1805–15; from French, noun use of masculine past participle of divorcer, from Medieval Latin dīvortiāre “to divorce,” derivative of Latin dīvortium “separation”; divorce

Word History and Origins

Origin of divorce¹

C14: from Old French, from Latin dīvortium from dīvertere to separate; see divert

Example Sentences

The divorce between Poulain and Buettner was on display last year, when Netflix launched a documentary on blue zones.

From Science Magazine

Though she married a second time, it ended in divorce, and romance took a backseat for a long time.

From Los Angeles Times

The country singer and songwriter broke through creatively following a painful divorce.

From Los Angeles Times

Smith, who grew up in the small Northern California town of Paradise, did a lot of living before he made it big, including a brief marriage that ended in divorce and a failed attempt to become a contemporary Christian musician.

From Los Angeles Times

“Going through an ugly divorce while I was in the public eye as a Christian artist — rocks would have been thrown at me,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• annulment
• breakup
• dissolution
• separation
• split