Okuzeka
Mathematics vocabulary · Numbers and Operations

Divide

Meaning in mathematics, with examples

/dɪˈvaɪd/verbCore term

In mathematics, divide means: To find how many times one number fits into another, or to split a quantity into equal parts; 12 shared equally between 3 people gives 4 each.

In Turkish: bölmek

How it is used

You divide one number by another, or divide something into parts. Related words are division, divisor, divisible ('12 is divisible by 3') and remainder. In informal speech teachers also say '3 goes into 12 four times'.

Example sentences

  1. Divide the total by the number of people to find each person's share.

  2. You can't divide by zero, so x cannot be 2 in this fraction.

Common collocations

  • divide by
  • divide into
  • divisible by
  • long division
  • divided byThe words used to read the division sign ÷ or a slash aloud; for example, 20 ÷ 5 = 4 is read 'twenty divided by five equals four'.
  • quotientThe result of dividing one number by another; for example, when 20 is divided by 4, the quotient is 5.
  • multiplyTo add a number to itself a given number of times; for example, if you multiply 4 by 3, you get 12.
  • fractionA number that shows part of a whole, written as one number over another, such as ¾, where 3 is the numerator and 4 is the denominator.

More terms: Numbers and Operations

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: