¹divide

separate, part, divide, sever, sunder, divorce mean to become or cause to become disunited or disjointed. separate may imply any of several causes such as dispersion, removal of one from others, or presence of an intervening thing <separated her personal life from her career>. part implies the separating of things or persons in close union or association <vowed never to part>. divide implies separating into pieces or sections by cutting or breaking <civil war divided the nation>. sever implies violence especially in the removal of a part or member <a severed limb>. sunder suggests violent rending or wrenching apart <a city sundered by racial conflict>. divorce implies separating two things that commonly interact and belong together <cannot divorce scientific research from moral responsibility>.

distribute, dispense, divide, deal, dole out mean to give out, usually in shares, to each member of a group. distribute implies an apportioning by separation of something into parts, units, or amounts <distributed food to the needy>. dispense suggests the giving of a carefully weighed or measured portion to each of a group according to due or need <dispensed wisdom to the students>. divide stresses the separation of a whole into parts and implies that the parts are equal <three charitable groups divided the proceeds>. deal emphasizes the allotment of something piece by piece <deal out equipment and supplies>. dole out implies a carefully measured portion of something that is often in short supply <doled out what little food there was>.