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separate

American  

[sep-uh-rayt, sep-er-it] / ˈsɛp əˌreɪt, ˈsɛp ər ɪt /

verb (used with object)

• separates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• separated,
  past participle,  past
• separating
  present participle

1. 

   to keep apart or divide, as by an intervening barrier or space.

   to separate two fields by a fence.

   Synonyms:

   split, sunder, sever

   Antonyms:

   connect, unite

2. to put, bring, or force apart; part.

   to separate two fighting boys.

   Synonyms:

   split, sunder, sever

   Antonyms:

   connect, unite

3. to set apart; disconnect; dissociate.

   to separate church and state.

   Synonyms:

   disengage, disjoin

   Antonyms:

   connect, unite

4. to remove or sever from association, service, etc., especially legally or formally.

   He was separated from the army right after V-E Day.

5. to sort, part, divide, or disperse (an assemblage, mass, compound, etc.), as into individual units, components, or elements.

6. to take by parting or dividing; extract (usually followed by from orout ).

   to separate metal from ore.

7. Mathematics. to write (the variables of a differential equation) in a form in which the differentials of the independent and dependent variables are, respectively, functions of these variables alone.

   We can separate the variables to solve the equation.

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verb (used without object)

• separates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• separated,
  past participle,  past
• separating
  present participle

1. to part company; withdraw from personal association (often followed byfrom ).

   to separate from a church.

2. (of a married pair) to stop living together but without getting a divorce.

3. to draw or come apart; become divided, disconnected, or detached.

4. to become parted from a mass or compound.

   Cream separates from milk.

5. to take or go in different directions.

   We have to separate at the crossroad.

adjective

1. detached, disconnected, or disjoined.

   Synonyms:

   discrete, unattached

2. unconnected; distinct; unique.

   two separate questions.

3. being or standing apart; distant or dispersed.

   two separate houses;

   The desert has widely separate oases.

   Synonyms:

   isolated, secluded

4. existing or maintained independently.

   separate organizations.

   Synonyms:

   independent

5. individual or particular.

   each separate item.

6. not shared; individual or private.

   separate checks;

   separate rooms.

7. Sometimes Separate noting or relating to a church or other organization no longer associated with the original or parent organization.

noun

1. Usually separates women's outer garments that may be worn in combination with a variety of others to make different ensembles, as matching and contrasting blouses, skirts, and sweaters.

2. offprint.

3. a bibliographical unit, as an article, chapter, or other portion of a larger work, printed from the same type but issued separately, sometimes with additional pages.

separate British  

verb

1. (tr) to act as a barrier between

   a range of mountains separates the two countries

2. to put or force or be put or forced apart

3. to part or be parted from a mass or group

4. (tr) to discriminate between

   to separate the men from the boys

5. to divide or be divided into component parts; sort or be sorted

6. to sever or be severed

7. (intr) (of a married couple) to cease living together by mutual agreement or after obtaining a decree of judicial separation

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adjective

1. existing or considered independently

   a separate problem

2. disunited or apart

3. set apart from the main body or mass

4. distinct, individual, or particular

5. solitary or withdrawn

6. (sometimes capital) designating or relating to a Church or similar institution that has ceased to have associations with an original parent organization

Synonym Usage

Separate, divide imply a putting apart or keeping apart of things from each other. To separate is to remove from each other things previously associated: to separate a mother from her children. To divide is to split or break up carefully according to measurement, rule, or plan: to divide a cake into equal parts.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• separateness
  noun
• unseparateness
  noun
• reseparate
  verb
• preseparate
  verb (used with object)
• nonseparating
  adjective
• unseparate
  adjective
• unseparated
  adjective
• unseparating
  adjective
• well-separated
  adjective
• separately
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• separating
  present
• separated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• separate
  simple
• separates
  simple
• have separated
  perfect
• has separated
  perfect
• am separating
  progressive
• are separating
  progressive
• is separating
  progressive
• have been separating
  perfect progressive
• has been separating
  perfect progressive

Past

• separated
  simple
• had separated
  perfect
• was separating
  progressive
• were separating
  progressive
• had been separating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will separate
  simple
• will have separated
  perfect
• will be separating
  progressive
• will have been separating
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of separate

First recorded in 1400–50; from late Middle English (noun and adjective), from Latin sēparātus, past participle of sēparāre, equivalent to sē- se- + parāre “to furnish, produce, obtain”; see prepare

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Explanation

Things that are separate are kept apart from other things. A married couple heading for divorce might eat breakfast at separate tables. You can use the adjective separate to describe something that is thought of as different or not related to other things. The adjective is from the Latin prefix se- "apart" plus parare "to prepare." Separate is also used as a verb, pronounced "SEP-uh-rate." Separate is one of the most commonly misspelled words, so beware of the erroneous spelling, seperate.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

separate separates separated separating

In separate documents filed as part of Mountbatten-Windsor's legal challenge against the warrants, he said: "These assertions were no more than speculation."

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

A separate measure of producer prices released Thursday was also strong.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

This dual activity was particularly surprising because plastic degradation and antibiotic breakdown are usually considered separate biological functions.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

“Lorca is also so visceral, you can’t separate his desires from his art,” Guitarrica adds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

You help Lucy fold blankets, separate trash from recyclables, then sneak a glance his way.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Astronomers identify these substances through spectroscopy, a method that separates light into different wavelengths to reveal the chemicals present.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

In June, business applications from Gen Z customers grew disproportionately from a year earlier, Bowley said, as did payments to open limited-liability companies, a business structure that separates personal and financial assets and liabilities.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

Gap that separates Europe from North America and is the principal Russian submarine route to the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

“That’s honestly the thing that separates him. That’s pretty rare to find.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

The soldiers are another force that separates us.

From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat

His wife, who is separated from him, lived in their Manhattan apartment until 2023, when she relocated to her own apartment in Miami Beach, records show.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Down a flight of leopard-print stairs, the lower level is home to two expansive bedroom suites, separated by a media room, which could also serve as a third bedroom.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

In a lab at the Center for DNA Identification in Hanoi last week, technicians carefully cut into bone fragments separated from remains to extract samples for DNA analysis.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

During this evolutionary upheaval, large sections of genetic material were rearranged, bringing regions of chromosomes that had previously been separated into close proximity.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

Even when they were separated by a wall of drawings and deadlines, she was still there.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

Signatories said Birmingham had been central to the show's identity since it began and warned that separating cast and production teams could affect the way the programme is made.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

“I started thinking about this in a way that I think was separating me from the pain of what was happening,” Crystal told the outlet.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

By carefully separating two Oreo cookies into a crème side and a cookie side and putting the crème sides together, I created “Extra Icing”—what years later came to be known as the Double Stuf Oreo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

In fusion physics, the Cordey saddle represents a relatively accessible point along the boundary separating plasma that still needs outside heating from plasma capable of sustaining its own fusion reactions.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026

I worked at separating the keys in her typewriter.

From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt

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