apart

American  

[uh-pahrt] / əˈpɑrt /

adverb

1. into pieces or parts; to pieces.

   to take a watch apart; an old barn falling apart from decay.

2. separately in place, time, motion, etc..

   New York and Tokyo are thousands of miles apart. Our birthdays are three days apart.

3. to or at one side, with respect to place, purpose, or function.

   to put money apart for education; to keep apart from the group out of pride.

4. separately or individually in consideration.

   each factor viewed apart from the others.

5. aside (used with a gerund or noun).

   Joking apart, what do you think?

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adjective

1. having independent or unique qualities, features, or characteristics; separate (usually used following the noun it modifies).

   a class apart.

verb phrase

1. take apart

   1. to disassemble.

      to take a clock apart.

   2. Informal.  to criticize; attack.

      She was taken apart for her controversial stand.

   3. to subject to intense examination.

      He will take your feeble excuses apart.

idioms

1. apart from,  aside from; in addition to.

   Apart from other considerations, time is a factor.

apart British  

/ əˈpɑːt /

adjective

1. to pieces or in pieces

   he had the television apart on the floor

2. placed or kept separately or to one side for a particular purpose, reason, etc; aside (esp in the phrases set or put apart )

3. separate in time, place, or position; at a distance

   he stood apart from the group

   two points three feet apart

4. not being taken into account; aside

   these difficulties apart, the project ran smoothly

5. individual; distinct; separate

   a race apart

6. separately or independently in use, thought, or function

   considered apart, his reasoning was faulty

7. (preposition) besides; other than

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apart More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing apart

• come apart
• fall apart
• pick apart
• poles apart
• set apart
• take apart
• tear apart
• tell apart

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Other Word Forms

• apartness noun

Etymology

Origin of apart

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French a part “to one side”; a- ⁵, part

Example Sentences

Looking into the data, there is little evidence of England's bowling falling apart in the second innings.

From BBC

Hugs are exchanged between community members torn apart by January’s wildfires.

From Los Angeles Times

He was like, ‘No, I cannot tell them apart.’

From Los Angeles Times

Thompson, who takes his stage name from his wartime submachine gun, rose to fame during the bloody conflicts that tore Yugoslavia apart in the 1990s.

From Barron's

By 1860, hundreds of thousands had been moved southward, tearing apart families while fueling the Cotton Kingdom.

From The Wall Street Journal