isolate

American  

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

verb (used with object)

isolates, present (3rd person singular) isolated, past participle, past isolating present participle

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

Derived Forms

• isolability
  noun
• isolator
  noun
• isolable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• isolating
  present
• isolated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• isolate
  simple
• isolates
  simple
• have isolated
  perfect
• has isolated
  perfect
• am isolating
  progressive
• are isolating
  progressive
• is isolating
  progressive
• have been isolating
  perfect progressive
• has been isolating
  perfect progressive

Past

• isolated
  simple
• had isolated
  perfect
• was isolating
  progressive
• were isolating
  progressive
• had been isolating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will isolate
  simple
• will have isolated
  perfect
• will be isolating
  progressive
• will have been isolating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of isolate

First recorded in 1800–10; back formation from isolated

Explanation

When you remove or set apart one thing from others, you isolate it. You could isolate yourself from people by living in a remote hut or, if you're a biologist, you could isolate a chromosome. The verb isolate comes from the adjective isolated, which comes from the Latin insulatas, meaning “made into an island.” You may have heard the John Donne quote, “No man is an island.” Donne was claiming that no matter how much you might try to isolate yourself from the rest of humanity, in the end people are all connected to one another. Humanity’s need for connectedness may, in fact, be illustrated by the fact that jailers frequently isolate criminals as punishment.

Example Sentences

AI poses temptations to isolate, but it can also be shaped to strengthen human bonds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

This technology allowed the team to isolate the nucleus of individual cells within tumor tissue and determine which genes were active in each cell.

From Science Daily • Jun. 25, 2026

Scientists have yet to isolate the part of the human brain that enjoys wondering who would beat whom in a fight.

From Slate • Jun. 14, 2026

Whey-protein isolate was reportedly going for around $14 a pound, the agency said.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026

It’s like trying to isolate a snowflake from a blizzard.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

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