subdivision
Americannoun
-
the act or fact of subdividing.
-
a product of subdividing, as a section of a department.
-
a portion of land divided into lots for real-estate development.
-
Botany, Mycology. a category of related classes within a division or phylum.
noun
-
the process, instance, or state of being divided again following upon an earlier division
-
a portion that is the result of subdividing
-
a tract of land for building resulting from subdividing land
-
a housing development built on such a tract
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of subdivision
1545–55; < Late Latin subdīvīsiōn- (stem of subdīvīsiō ), equivalent to subdīvīs ( us ) (past participle of subdīvīdere to subdivide ) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
When something large or complex is split into smaller parts, you can call each part a subdivision. The act of separating something into parts is also called subdivision. In North America, when someone mentions a subdivision, they probably mean a suburban neighborhood. When planned communities are designed, developers subdivide the plots of land to make it easier to sell them. If a botanist talks about subdivisions, she means something completely different: a ranked group of plants. No matter how the word is used, a subdivision is basically a smaller section of a section, or a part of something that's divided.
Vocabulary lists containing subdivision
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"This reflects a complex history of population subdivision, in which different populations lived in different regions and habitat types."
From Science Daily • May 20, 2026
We are in a subdivision called Baldwin Hills, or Baldwin Hills Estates.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
Some eight workers were arrested in a chaotic scene of laborers running away from federal vehicles racing through the three-street subdivision at high speed, the builders said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026
Beyond its luxurious features, the home’s location within the prized Patricks Purchase subdivision also holds strong appeal for families, with some of the area’s best schools just a short drive away.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 20, 2025
I finished copying the subdivision names and returned my notebook to my backpack.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
