isolate

American  

[ahy-suh-leyt, ahy-suh-lit, -leyt] / ˈaɪ səˌleɪt, ˈaɪ sə lɪt, -ˌleɪt /

verb (used with object)

isolated, isolating

1. to set or place apart; detach or separate so as to be alone.

2. Medicine/Medical. to keep (an infected person) from contact with noninfected persons; quarantine.

3. Chemistry, Bacteriology. to obtain (a substance or microorganism) in an uncombined or pure state.

4. Electricity. to insulate.

5. Television. to single out (a person, action, etc.) for a camera closeup.

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noun

1. a person, thing, or group that is set apart or isolated, as for purposes of study.

2. Psychology. a person, often shy or lacking in social skills, who avoids the company of others and has no friends within a group.

3. Biology. an inbreeding population that is isolated from similar populations by physiological, behavioral, or geographic barriers.

4. Also called language isolate.  Linguistics. a language with no demonstrable genetic relationship, as Basque.

5. something that has been isolated, as a by-product in a manufacturing process.

   an isolate of soy flour.

adjective

1. isolated; alone.

isolate British  

verb

1. to place apart; cause to be alone

2. med to quarantine (a person or animal) having or suspected of having a contagious disease

3. to obtain (a compound) in an uncombined form

4. to obtain pure cultures of (bacteria, esp those causing a particular disease)

5. electronics to prevent interaction between (circuits, components, etc); insulate

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noun

1. an isolated person or group

Other Word Forms

• isolability noun
• isolable adjective
• isolator noun
• reisolate verb (used with object)
• unisolate verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of isolate

First recorded in 1800–10; back formation from isolated

Example Sentences

Citizen scientists will then be encouraged to gather sediment from rooftops and gutters and use magnets, sieves, and microscopes provided by the project to isolate potential micrometeorites.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

By adjusting the data to account for these natural factors, the team was able to isolate the underlying warming trend more clearly.

From Science Daily • Mar. 9, 2026

At their best, sci-fi thought experiments isolate technological shocks, project them forward under different conditions of social and environmental stress, and ask: What breaks first?

From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026

This could have been an opportunity for Washington to isolate the isolator.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

These were not efforts to negotiate, but attempts to isolate me from my organization.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• confine
• detach
• disconnect
• disengage
• divide
• insulate
• remove
• segregate
• separate
• sequester