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”; see a- ⁵, part

Explanation

When things are apart, they are separated, often because they're far away from each other. If you are in Hawaii for the summer and your best friend is in Maine, you are apart. You can say that San Diego and San Francisco are about 500 miles apart, or that you hate spending time apart from your cat when you travel. Sometimes people are figuratively apart, when they've ended their relationship. You can also use apart to mean "in pieces," as when a firecracker blows apart an apple. The word comes from the Old French à part, "to the side," from the Latin roots ad "to," and partem, "a side."

Example Sentences

Because the brain and spinal cord are separate but connected structures in the body, the team kept the organoids physically apart in the lab.

From Science Daily • May 29, 2026

Another is Jacki Adams, a hugely successful model of the era and engaging presence here, whose romance with another group member, Von Mierers protégé John Andreadis, tore the group apart.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

He is angry; that his child couldn't get a vaccine, that her symptoms were missed, that he feels the hospitals failed to keep patients with measles apart from others.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

Yet it simultaneously professes anxiety about an Asian American who has decidedly not stood apart from American institutions and culture: After graduating from Yale Law School, Wang clerked for two Supreme Court justices.

From Slate • May 26, 2026

It had teeth as long as his forearm and claws that could tear apart an oak tree.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell