ENGLISH
REFERENCE

divvy up

phrasal verb.
Definition

phrasal verb. to divide something into smaller parts so you can share it with others.

phrasal verb. to divide or distribute something into portions; typically used for sharing resources, money, or tasks among a group.


SIMPLE

Let's divvy up the bill between the four of us.

CONTEXTUAL

After the garage sale, the kids sat on the floor to divvy up the coins they had earned.

COMPLEX

The committee spent three hours trying to divvy up the remaining budget among the various competing departments before the fiscal year ended.

Origin

A diminutive form of the phrasal verb divide up.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
divvy + up + object
Usage

Often used with physical objects or responsibilities.

Teaching tip

the word likely comes from 'divide'; it is a more playful and casual alternative to 'share' or 'distribute' in group settings.

Pitfall

We divvy the cake up.We divvy up the cake.while technically optional in some dialects, 'divvy up' is most commonly used as an inseparable unit when followed by a noun object.

Last updated April 24, 2026