Home / Words / splitNo. 0318

split

/splɪt//splɪt/·verb, noun
to break or divide along a line, often forcefully; to end a relationship
Fig. 1 — I watch a log stand on the block, and an axe swing down and bite into its crown.
01Definition

To split is to break something apart along a line — a log splits under the axe, a plank splits with the grain, a party splits over a policy. It is more forceful and everyday than divide, and the break is not always equal. From an old Germanic root meaning 'to cleave'. Figuratively, couples split up, a bill is split, and a difference is split down the middle. As a noun, a split is the crack or division itself — a split in the party.

02In use
  • iOne blow of the axe split the log clean down the middle.
  • iiThe party split over whether to join the coalition.
  • iiiLet's split the bill four ways so no one has to do the sums.
03Collocations
  • split up
  • split the bill
  • split hairs
  • split in two
  • a split second

Family split (noun) · splitting (adjective)

04Relations

=divide, separate, cleave, crack, break

≠join, unite, merge, combine

05Compared
PairThe difference
split vs amalgamateseveral organizations fused into one → amalgamate; one thing broken sharply apart along a line → split.
split vs blendmix things into one seamless whole where the parts vanish → blend; break one thing sharply apart along a line → split.
split vs coalesceseparate things grow together into one whole → coalesce; break one thing sharply apart along a line → split.
split vs coincidetwo independent things share the same point or time → coincide; break one thing sharply into two along a line → split.
split vs combineseparate things brought together into one → combine; one thing forced apart along a line → split.

Also compared with concentrate, consolidate, converge, disband, disperse, dissipate, dissolve, diverge, divide, fuse, integrate, intersect, join, meet, merge, radiate, scatter, separate, unite

06TOEFL & IELTS

First, the past tense: split never changes — split today, split yesterday, have split — so 'splitted' is always wrong (it belongs with cut, put, and hit). Second, register: 'split up' is the informal word for a breakup, where separate is the neutral, legal one. Bank the useful idioms: split hairs (quibble over trivia), split the difference (compromise midway), and 'a split second' (an instant).

07Asked
Is it 'split' or 'splitted'?
Split — it never changes. The present, past, and past participle are all split: I split it today, I split it yesterday, I have split it before. 'Splitted' is a natural-sounding mistake (adding the regular -ed) but it is always wrong. Split belongs to the small club of invariant verbs with cut, put, hit, and let.
What does 'split up' mean?
Most often, to end a romantic relationship — 'they split up after three years' — which is the informal counterpart to the neutral 'separate'. It has two other senses too: to break a thing into parts (split up the work) and to divide people into smaller groups (the guide split us up into pairs). Context tells you which.
What does 'split hairs' mean?
To quibble over tiny, unimportant distinctions — to argue about details that make no real difference. 'I don't want to split hairs, but the deadline was Monday, not Tuesday.' It is figurative, not literal division, and it is a handy phrase for conceding a point while questioning a trivial objection in an essay or discussion.
What do 'split the bill' and 'split the difference' mean?
Split the bill means to share a cost equally, each paying a portion — the usual thing at a restaurant. Split the difference means to compromise at the midpoint between two figures: if you want 100 and I want 80, we split the difference at 90. Both are common, everyday money phrases worth having for Speaking.
What is the difference between split and divide?
Split is the everyday, often forceful word for breaking something along a line, and the parts need not be equal — the axe splits the log in the scene above. Divide is tidier and more methodical, usually into equal or measured parts (divide the cake into six, divide by three). Split cracks; divide portions.
What is the difference between split and separate?
Split implies one whole breaking into pieces, with a clear break line and often some force. Separate implies pulling apart things that were already distinct, or simply sorting them, and is more neutral. You split a log into halves; you separate the red counters from the blue ones.