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   split

   /splɪt/

   verb

   • 1. break or cause to break forcibly into parts, especially into halves or along the grain: "the ice cracked and split" Similar breakchopcuthewlopcleavesnapcrackinformal:bustbreak apartfracturerupturefissuresnapcome apartsplinter
   • ▪ remove or be removed by breaking, separating, or dividing: "a group of Nottinghamshire miners split away to create a separate union" Similar break upseparatepartpart companybecome estrangedreach a parting of the waysdivorceget a divorceget divorcedinformal:bust upOpposite get togethermarry
   • ▪ divide or cause to divide into parts or elements: "the river had split into a number of channels" Similar forkdivide in twodividebifurcatego in different directionsdivergebranchrare:divaricateOpposite convergemerge
   • ▪ divide and share (something, especially resources or responsibilities): "they met up and split the booty" Similar share (out)divide (up)apportionallocateallotdistributedole outparcel outmeasure outcarve upslice uphalveinformal:divvy up
   • ▪ cause the fission of (an atom): "it could ultimately prove as significant an achievement as splitting the atom"
   • 2. (with reference to a group of people) divide into two or more groups: "let's split up and find the other two"
   • ▪ end a marriage or an emotional or working relationship: "after the band split up Tex became a railway clerk" Similar break upseparatepartpart companybecome estrangedreach a parting of the waysdivorceget a divorceget divorcedinformal:bust upOpposite get togethermarry
   • ▪ (of an issue) cause (a group) to be divided because of opposing views: "the party was deeply split over its future direction" Similar dividedisuniteseparateseverbisectpartitionliterary:tear asundercleaverendarchaic:sunderriverare:dichotomizefactionalizeOpposite uniteunify
   • 3. (of one's head) suffer great pain from a headache: informal "my head is splitting"
   • 4. betray the secrets of or inform on someone: informal British "I told him I wouldn't split on him" Similar inform on/againsttell tales ongive awaysell outstab in the backinformal:tell onsqueal onblow the whistle onrat onpeach onsell down the rivergrass onshopstitch updo the dirty onrat outdrop a/the dime onfingerpimp onpoolput someone's pot on
   • 5. leave a place, especially suddenly: informal "‘Let's split,’ Harvey said" Similar leavedepartgogo awaygo offtake one's leavetake oneself offwithdrawabsent oneselfsay one's goodbyesquitmake an exitexitbreak campdecampretreatbeat a retreatretiremake offclear outmake oneself scarcerun offrun awayfleeflyboltset offset outstart outget goingget under waybe on one's wayinformal:make tracksup stickspack one's bagsshove offpush offclear offtake offskedaddlescramscootflitsling one's hookvamoosehightail itcut outformal:repairremoveliterary:betake oneselfrare:abstract oneselfOpposite arrivestay

   noun

   • 1. a tear, crack, or fissure in something, especially down the middle or along the grain: "splits appeared in the decaying planks" Similar crackfissurecleftcrevicebreakfracturebreachriptearcutrentslashslit
   • ▪ an instance or act of splitting or being split; a division: "a 75–25 split of proceeds"
   • ▪ a separation into parties or within a party; a schism: "the accusations caused a split in the party" Similar divisionriftbreachschismrupturepartitionseparationseverancebreak-upalienationestrangementrare:scission
   • ▪ an ending of a marriage or other relationship: "a much-publicized split with his wife" Similar break-upsplit-upseparationpartingestrangementparting of the waysriftrupturebreachdivorcelegal separationjudicial separationinformal:bust-upOpposite marriage
   • 2. (in gymnastics and dance) an act of leaping in the air or sitting down with the legs straight and at right angles to the body, one in front and the other behind, or one at each side: "I could never do the splits before"
   • 3. a thing that is divided or split.
   • ▪ a bun, roll, or cake that is split or cut in half.
   • ▪ a split osier used in basketwork.
   • ▪ each strip of steel or cane that makes up the reed in a loom.
   • ▪ half a bottle of champagne.
   • ▪ a single thickness of split hide.
   • ▪ (in tenpin bowling) a formation of standing pins after the first ball in which there is a gap between two pins or groups of pins, making a spare unlikely.
   • ▪ a drawn match or series. North American
   • ▪ a split-level house. US
   • 4. the time taken to complete a recognized part of a race, or the point in the race where such a time is measured.

   Word Origin late 16th century (originally in the sense ‘break up a ship’, describing the force of a storm or rock): from Middle Dutch splitten, of unknown ultimate origin.

   Scrabble Points: 7

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