Definitions for divorce
dɪˈvɔrs, -ˈvoʊrsdi·vorce

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. divorce, divorcementverb

   the legal dissolution of a marriage

2. disassociate, dissociate, divorce, disunite, disjointverb

   part; cease or break association with

   "She disassociated herself from the organization when she found out the identity of the president"

3. divorce, split upverb

   get a divorce; formally terminate a marriage

   "The couple divorced after only 6 months"

WiktionaryRate this definition:4.5 / 2 votes

1. divorcenoun

   The legal dissolution of a marriage.

   Richard obtained a divorce from his wife some years ago, but hasn't returned to the dating scene.

2. divorcenoun

   A separation of connected things.

   The Civil War split between Virginia and West Virginia was a divorce based along cultural and economic, as well as geographic, lines.

3. divorceverb

   To legally dissolve a marriage between two people.

   A ship captain can marry couples, but cannot divorce them.

4. divorceverb

   To end one's own marriage in this way.

   Lucy divorced Steve when she discovered that he had been unfaithful.

5. divorceverb

   To separate something that was connected.

   The radical group voted to divorce itself from the main faction and start an independent movement.

6. divorceverb

   To obtain a legal divorce.

   Edna and Simon divorced last year; he got the house, and she retained the business.

7. divorcénoun

   A divorced man.

8. Etymology: From divorce, from divortium, from divertere, from di- + vertere; see verse.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. DIVORCEnoun

   The legal separation of husband and wife.

   Etymology: divorce, Fr. from divortium, Latin.

   Divorce is a lawful separation of husband and wife, made before a competent judge, on due cognizance had of the cause, and sufficient proof made thereof. John Ayliffe, Parergon.

   To restore the king,
   He counsels a divorce, a loss of her,
   That like a jewel has hung twenty years
   About his neck, yet never lost her lustre. William Shakespeare, Hen. VIII.

   He had in his eye the divorce which had passed betwixt the emperor and Scribonia. John Dryden, Æn. Dedicat. to the.

   2. Separation; disunion.

   Such motions may occasion a farther alienation of mind, and divorce of affections in her, from my religion. Charles I .

   These things, to be a bastard, and to be born out of lawful wedlock, are convertible the one with the other; and ’tis hard to make divorce between those things that are so near in nature to each other, as being convertible terms. John Ayliffe, Par.

   3. The sentence by which a marriage is dissolved.4. The cause of any penal separation.

   Go with me, like good angels, to my end;
   And as the long divorce of steel falls on me,
   Make of your prayers one sweet sacrifice,
   And lift my soul to heav’n. William Shakespeare, Henry VIII.

2. To Divorceverb

   Etymology: from the noun.

   1. To separate a husband or wife from the other.2. To force asunder; to separate by violence.

   Were it consonant unto reason to divorce these two sentences, the former of which doth shew how the latter is restrained, and not marking the former, to conclude by the latter of them? Richard Hooker, b. ii. s. 5.

   The continent and the island were continued together, within mens remembrance, by a draw-bridge; but is now divorced by the downfallen cliffs. Richard Carew, Survey of Cornwal.

   So seem’d her youthful soul not eas’ly forc’d,
   Or from so fair, so sweet a seat divorc’d. Edmund Waller.

   3. To separate from another.

   If thou wer’t not glad,
   I would divorce me from thy mother’s tomb,
   Sepulch’ring an adultress. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

   If so be it were possible, that all other ornaments of mind might be had in their full perfection, nevertheless the mind, that should possess them divorced from piety, could be but a spectacle of commiseration. Richard Hooker.

   4. To take away.

   I dare not make myself so guilty,
   To give up willingly that noble title
   Your master wed me to: nothing but death
   Shall e’er divorce my dignities. William Shakespeare, Henry VIII.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Divorce

   Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the bonds of matrimony between a married couple under the rule of law of the particular country or state. Divorce laws vary considerably around the world, but in most countries, divorce requires the sanction of a court or other authority in a legal process, which may involve issues of distribution of property, child custody, alimony (spousal support), child visitation / access, parenting time, child support, and division of debt. In most countries, monogamy is required by law, so divorce allows each former partner to marry another person. Divorce is different from annulment, which declares the marriage null and void, with legal separation or de jure separation (a legal process by which a married couple may formalize a de facto separation while remaining legally married) or with de facto separation (a process where the spouses informally stop cohabiting). Reasons for divorce vary, from sexual incompatibility or lack of independence for one or both spouses to a personality clash or infidelity.The only countries that do not allow divorce are the Philippines and the Vatican City. In the Philippines, divorce for non-Muslim Filipinos is not legal unless the husband or wife is an undocumented immigrant and satisfies certain conditions. The Vatican City is a state ruled by the head of the Catholic Church, a religion that does not allow for divorce. Countries that have relatively recently legalized divorce are Italy (1970), Portugal (1975, although from 1910 to 1940 it was possible both for the civil and religious marriage), Brazil (1977), Spain (1981), Argentina (1987), Paraguay (1991), Colombia (1991; from 1976 was allowed only for non-Catholics), Andorra (1995), Ireland (1996), Chile (2004) and Malta (2011).

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. divorce

   Divorce is the legal termination of a marriage by a court or other competent body. It involves the dissolution of marital bonds, as well as division of marital assets, and, if applicable, arrangements for child custody and support.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Divorcenoun

   a legal dissolution of the marriage contract by a court or other body having competent authority. This is properly a divorce, and called, technically, divorce a vinculo matrimonii

2. Divorcenoun

   the separation of a married woman from the bed and board of her husband -- divorce a mensa et toro (/ thoro), "from bed board."

3. Divorcenoun

   the decree or writing by which marriage is dissolved

4. Divorcenoun

   separation; disunion of things closely united

5. Divorcenoun

   that which separates

6. Divorcenoun

   to dissolve the marriage contract of, either wholly or partially; to separate by divorce

7. Divorcenoun

   to separate or disunite; to sunder

8. Divorcenoun

   to make away; to put away

9. Etymology: [F. divorce, L. divortium, fr. divortere, divertere, to turn different ways, to separate. See Divert.]

FreebaseRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Divorce

   Divorce is the termination of a marital union, the canceling of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and the dissolving of the bonds of matrimony between a married couple. Divorce is unlike annulment which declares the marriage null and void. Divorce laws vary considerably around the world, but in most countries it requires the sanction of a court or other authority in a legal process. The legal process of divorce may also involve issues of alimony, child custody, child support, distribution of property, and division of debt. In most countries monogamy is required by law, so divorce allows each former partner to marry another; where polygyny is legal but polyandry is not, divorce allows the woman to marry a new husband. Divorce can be a stressful experience affecting finances, living arrangements, household jobs, schedules and more. If the family includes children, they may be deeply affected. The only countries which do not allow divorce are the Philippines and the Vatican City, an ecclesiastical state, which has no procedure for divorce. Countries that have relatively recently allowed divorce are Italy, Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Malta.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Divorce

   di-vors′, n. the legal separation of husband and wife: the sentence by which a marriage is dissolved.—v.t. to separate: to sunder: to dissolve the marriage-contract of: to put away.—adj. Divorce′able.—ns. Divorcee′, a divorced person; Divorce′ment (B.), divorce; Divor′cer.—adj. Divor′cive, having power to divorce. [Fr.,—L. divortium—divortĕre, another form of divertĕre. See Divert.]

The Roycroft DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. divorce

   1. A legal separation of two persons of the opposite sex who desire to respect and honor each other. 2. A marital derail.

U.S. National Library of MedicineRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Divorce

   Legal dissolution of an officially recognized marriage relationship.

The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon WurdzRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. DIVORCE

   Nominally, separation of husband and wife from the bonds of matrimony. In the vicinity of Newport it is frequently a legal formula that immediately precedes a fashionable wedding.

Matched Categories

1. • Separate

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'divorce' in Nouns Frequency: #2027

2. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'divorce' in Verbs Frequency: #1040

Anagrams for divorce »

1. cervoid

How to pronounce divorce?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say divorce in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of divorce in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of divorce in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of divorce in a Sentence

1. Gabrielle Clemens:

   Marriage is about love, and divorce is about money, as you go through the process of divorce, everything comes down to the concept of money.

2. Woody Allen:

   For a while we pondered whether to take a vacation or get a divorce. We decided that a trip to Bermuda is over in two weeks, but a divorce is something you always have.

3. Randy Kessler:

   California is one of the unique states that lets the parties get a divorce without resolving all of the other issues, georgia and most other states require parties to resolve everything -- custody, child support, property division -- before they will grant them a divorce because that motivates people to finish off the negotiations so they can get a divorce.

4. Tracy Stewart:

   During the divorce, you should be thinking in terms of what you need to do to get a career, if you need a degree or training, you negotiate during the divorce for your spouse to pay for this. Often, in a collaborative divorce, your partner will want to see that you can make ends meet; and if you ask for help paying for your education or training, your partner may offer to help, but you have to ask.

5. Heather Brassner:

   That will not un-divorce Heather, it is the first unquestionably valid same-sex divorce, issued in full compliance with Florida law.

Popularity rank by frequency of use