divorce

divorce

I

di‧vorce¹ S3 /dəˈvɔːs, dɪˈvɔːs $ -ɔːrs/ noun1. [uncountable and countable] the legal ending of a marriage ⇨ separation:
    Why doesn’t she get a divorce?
    One in three marriages ends in divorce.
    file/sue/petition for divorce (=start the legal divorce process)
    His wife has started divorce proceedings.
    the rise in the divorce rate
    She received the house as part of the divorce settlement (=the amount of money, property etc each person receives in a divorce case).
    The Act extended the grounds (=legal reasons) for divorce.
2. [countable usually singular] formal the fact of separating two related things
    divorce between
    the divorce between theory and method
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ verbs
   ▪ get a divorce (=end your marriage) Their marriage had never been happy and in the end they got a divorce.
   ▪ go through a divorce (=experience getting a divorce) I was going through a divorce and it was a very painful time.
   ▪ want a divorce She told him she wanted a divorce.
   ▪ ask (somebody) for a divorce She asked her husband for a divorce after he had been unfaithful.
   ▪ a marriage ends in divorce Five years later, their marriage ended in divorce.
   ▪ file for divorce (also petition for divorce formal) (=start the legal divorce process) The next day I saw a lawyer and filed for a divorce.
■ adjectives
   ▪ a bitter divorce (=involving very angry feelings) After a long and bitter divorce, Wendy was looking forward to starting a new life.
   ▪ a messy divorce (=complicated and unpleasant to deal with) She wanted to avoid a messy divorce .
   ▪ a painful divorce (=causing a lot of sadness) I have been through a painful divorce, and know what it feels like.
■ divorce + NOUN
   ▪ the divorce rate (=the number of people who get a divorce) The country has a high divorce rate.
   ▪ divorce proceedings (=the legal processes of getting a divorce) His first marriage was unsuccessful and led to long divorce proceedings.
   ▪ a divorce settlement (=the amount of money, property etc each person gets in a divorce) She received a $10 million divorce settlement from her first husband.
   ▪ a divorce case (=a legal case dealing with a divorce) It was the biggest divorce case that an English court has dealt with.
   ▪ a divorce lawyer/court (=one dealing with divorce) She's a famous New York divorce lawyer.
   ▪ divorce papers (=documents concerning a divorce) My husband refused to sign the divorce papers.
■ phrases
   ▪ grounds for divorce (=acceptable reasons for divorce, according to the law) Violence and neglect are grounds for divorce.

II

divorce² verb1. [intransitive and transitive] if someone divorces their husband or wife, or if two people divorce, they legally end their marriage ⇨ separate:
    David’s parents divorced when he was six.
    My father threatened to divorce her.
2. [transitive] formal to separate two ideas, subjects etc completely
    divorce something from something
    It is difficult to divorce sport from politics.
3. [transitive] to stop being involved in an activity, organization, situation etc
    divorce yourself from something
    Our society has divorced itself from religion.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ divorce to legally end your marriage: After seven years, they decided to divorce. | She divorced him six months after they were married.
   ▪ separate to start to live apart from your husband or wife because of problems in your marriage: They argued all the time and in the end agreed to separate. | She separated from her husband and moved to a flat in London.
   ▪ split up/break up to end a marriage or a romantic relationship: When Andy was nine, his parents split up. | He's just broken up with his girlfriend.
   ▪ leave somebody to stop living with your husband, wife, or partner, often because you are having a relationship with someone else: Her husband left her for a younger woman after 27 years of marriage. | Dan's left me.