separator

American  

[sep-uh-rey-ter] / ˈsɛp əˌreɪ tər /

noun

1. a person or thing that separates.

2. any of various apparatus for separating one thing from another, as cream from milk, steam from water, or wheat from chaff.

3. Electricity. a device that prevents metal contact between plates of opposite charge in a storage battery.

4. Machinery. retainer.

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separator British  

/ ˈsɛpəˌreɪtə /

noun

1. a person or thing that separates

2. a device for separating things into constituent parts, as milk into cream, etc

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Other Word Forms

• preseparator noun
• separatory adjective

Etymology

Origin of separator

1600–10; < Late Latin sēparātor, equivalent to Latin sēparā ( re ) to separate + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

An A1900 separator was used to isolate the desired fragments from the many particles produced during the collision.

From Science Daily • Mar. 8, 2026

The South Korean lithium-battery separator supplier is facing persistent risks from a slowdown in U.S. electric-vehicle demand, the Daiwa analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 22, 2025

Now the Chinese SemCorp separator foil factory and the Chinese EcoPro cathode plant have sprung up too.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2024

So, absolutely: that’s a separator for the Seattle Storm.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 18, 2024

The effort to separate ourselves whether by race, creed, color, religion, or status is as costly to the separator as to those who would be separated.

From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals