What does split mean?
Split means to divide, separate, break apart, or distribute. It can describe an action, such as splitting wood or dividing an inheritance, and can also describe a separation between people, such as a split in a political party. The word is especially useful when a group becomes divided into opposing sides or when a shared amount is divided among several people. As a noun, a split is the act or result of division; as an adjective, it describes something divided or divided evenly, such as a split decision or a split vote. Common expressions include split the difference, split up, and split second. Split can sound decisive when describing the deliberate division of something, but it can also carry the implication of conflict or fragmentation when referring to relationships, teams, or political organizations. In general, it conveys a clear separation into two or more components.
To divide something into parts, separate people or groups, distribute a share, or come apart. It may also mean to cause opposing sides to form.
"The organizers split the audience into small discussion groups."
The verb may be transitive or intransitive. Split up is common when the separation involves people or objects.
An act or instance of dividing or separating; a division between people or groups; or an equal division of a vote or decision.
"The party is facing a major split over its new policy."
In political and organizational contexts, split often suggests a significant disagreement or fragmentation.
Divided into separate parts or groups, or divided evenly or nearly evenly between alternatives.
"The judges announced a split decision."
This form commonly appears in phrases such as split decision, split vote, and split personality.
When used as a noun, the regular plural is splits. It commonly refers to divisions within a group or organization.
"Several splits emerged in the coalition during the negotiations."
The word that divides languages also has a family tree: German spalten and Dutch splijten share its Germanic ancestry.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does split come from?
English split developed from Middle English spliten and belongs to a Germanic family of words meaning to cleave or divide. Its relatives include Old Norse split, Dutch splijten, and German spalten, along with Scandinavian forms such as Danish splitte and Swedish splittra. These cognates reflect a Proto-Germanic origin shared with other Germanic languages.
Related word forms
How split is actually used
Split is common in both formal and informal English. It often implies a clean division into parts, while crack and break may suggest damage or force. Split can be intransitive or transitive, and the expression split up is especially frequent in everyday speech. Split infinitive is a grammatical term rather than a general criticism of sentence structure.
Easily confused with split
Spilt is the past tense and past participle of spill, meaning to release liquid or contents, whereas split means to divide, separate, or break apart.