Definitions for divorce
dɪˈvɔrs, -ˈvoʊrsdi·vorce

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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"

Wiktionary(4.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

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.

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

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.

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

3. divorceverb

   To legally dissolve a marriage between two people.

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

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

4. divorceverb

   To end one's own marriage in this way.

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

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

5. divorceverb

   To separate something that was connected.

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

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

6. divorceverb

   To obtain a legal divorce.

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

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

7. divorcénoun

   A divorced man.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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

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

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."

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

3. Divorcenoun

   the decree or writing by which marriage is dissolved

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

4. Divorcenoun

   separation; disunion of things closely united

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

5. Divorcenoun

   that which separates

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

6. Divorcenoun

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

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

7. Divorcenoun

   to separate or disunite; to sunder

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

8. Divorcenoun

   to make away; to put away

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

Freebase(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

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 Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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 Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

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 Medicine(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Divorce

   Legal dissolution of an officially recognized marriage relationship.

The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon Wurdz(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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

How to pronounce divorce?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

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. Austin Elliot:

   Whoever said Marriage is a 5-5 proposition laid the foundation for more divorce fees than any other short sentence in our language.

2. Anuj Somany:

   Divorce the past to marry the present and be blessed with a lovely child of future.

3. Allan Lokos:

   All of us are going through crashes all the time, we don’t think of them as crashes. We think of them as a headache, we call them ‘divorce,’ we call them ‘the stock market is really down,’.

4. Brian Haas:

   While some have desperately tried to make this case about guns, folks on both sides of the issues have missed the real issue in this case : This is a case of a highly contested divorce action that has escalated to the point of both the husband and the wife being charged with crimes.

5. Noel Monk:

   Eddie was having a lot of problems at that time, after they got married, he had drank too much, he had done too much. They went from the church to the reception. It was a beautiful mansion with wonderful people, but I couldn’t find Eddie. I couldn’t find Valerie. So I went looking for them and found them in the bathroom upstairs… Valerie was soothing him. It was certainly understandable. It didn’t impact their marriage. It certainly didn’t dictate the way things might turned out.’ The marriage lasted for almost two decades until their divorce in 2007, but the band was crumbling much sooner than that. There were mountains of cocaine and ever-flowing booze involved, but Van Halen was also led by a flamboyant singer with a fearsome Jekyll and Hyde personality. David Lee Roth in London. (Courtesy of Noel Monk).

Images & Illustrations of divorce

Popularity rank by frequency of use