lexicow

split

/splɪt//splɪt/·verb, noun

to break or divide along a line, often forcefully; to end a relationship

I watch a log stand on the block, and an axe swing down and bite into its crown. For a beat nothing gives; then a crack runs the grain and the whole log falls open into two clean halves that rock apart, a chip flung loose. One solid piece, forced along its line, is suddenly two.
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Definition

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.

Examples

  • One blow of the axe split the log clean down the middle.
  • The party split over whether to join the coalition.
  • Let's split the bill four ways so no one has to do the sums.

Collocations

split up· split the bill· split hairs· split in two· a split second

Synonyms

divide· separate· cleave· crack· break

Antonyms

join· unite· merge· combine

Word family

split (noun)· splitting (adjective)

In TOEFL & 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).

FAQ

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.