-ˈsē
Synonyms
Examples of divorce in a Sentence
Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 2 Apr. 2024
The younger Lopez — also a comedian who, for years, had been estranged from her father — was clearing up some rumors about her parents divorce ... while twerking upside down.
—Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Charles Vallow was seeking a divorce from Lori Vallow Daybell at the time of his death.
—USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
Her first husband, the musician Eddie Van Halen, died in 2020; a painful divorce from her second husband, the businessman Tom Vitale, was finalized in 2022.
—Mayukh Sen, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
An affair, to keep it going, or a divorce, for giggles.
—Souvankham Thammavongsa, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
The Beverly Hills, 90210 star, 50, has filed for divorce from the Canadian actor, 57, citing irreconcilable differences, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 29 Mar. 2024
Us the Duo's Michael and Carissa Alvarado have announced their divorce.
—Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2024
California is a community property state, meaning that assets are by default divided 50/50 in a divorce.
—Kyle Mullins, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Marc D. Hauser, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
But the data suggest for couples who are getting married recently, a majority of them are going to go the distance, and probably only about 40% will end up getting divorced.
—Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Apr. 2024
Married and divorced three times, he is survived by two sons, Satie and Sharron.
—Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
The software developer, who got divorced early in the pandemic, has been lining up experiences far in advance: Hawaii in April, a Foo Fighters show in August.
—Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
The couple divorced in May 2023, reportedly because Shanahan had an affair with Elon Musk, an allegation both Musk and Shanahan denied.
—Kyle Mullins, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Brown centered much of his speech around the parallels between his aunt Vera and his recent role as Cliff — who is newly out of the closet after divorcing his wife — in American Fiction, which earned the actor his first Oscar nomination.
—Nicole Fell, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2024
Boll divorced and married twice more—first to a Polish count in 1931, then to a harpist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in 1940—and gradually drifted from public view.
—Shoshi Parks, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Mar. 2024
Although they aren’t officially divorced, they are successfully separated, and Thornton is seemingly moving forward with her life, including being happy with a new beau.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 20 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'divorce.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun (1) and Verb
Middle English divorse, from Anglo-French, from Latin divortium, from divertere, divortere to divert, to leave one's husband
Noun (1)
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Noun (2)
1877, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing divorce
Dictionary Entries Near divorce
Cite this Entry
“Divorce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divorce. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
divorce
1 of 3 noun
divorcé
3 of 3 noun
-ˌvȯr-
Legal Definition
divorce
1 of 2 nounNote: The most common grounds for divorce are absence from the marital home, drug or alcohol addiction, adultery, cruelty, conviction of a crime, desertion, insanity, and nonsupport.
divorce
2 of 2 verbNoun
Middle French, from Latin divortium, from divortere, divertere to leave one's marriage partner, from di- away, apart + vertere to turn
More from Merriam-Webster on divorce
Nglish: Translation of divorce for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of divorce for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about divorce
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