isolate

[ verb ahy-suh-leyt; noun, adjective ahy-suh-lit, -leyt ]

/ verb ˈaɪ səˌleɪt; noun, adjective ˈaɪ sə lɪt, -ˌleɪt /

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See synonyms for: isolate / isolated / isolating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), i·so·lat·ed, i·so·lat·ing.

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

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

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

Electricity. to insulate.

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

noun

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

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

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

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

something that has been isolated, as a by-product in a manufacturing process: an isolate of soy flour.

adjective

isolated; alone.

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Origin of isolate

First recorded in 1800–10; back formation from isolated

OTHER WORDS FROM isolate

i·so·la·tor, nounre·i·so·late, verb (used with object), re·i·so·lat·ed, re·i·so·lat·ing.un·i·so·late, verb (used with object), un·i·so·lat·ed, un·i·so·lat·ing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use isolate in a sentence

They were ordered to isolate, meaning they could not go to work.
Hogan’s first batch of coronavirus tests from South Korea were flawed, never used|Steve Thompson|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Finally, everyone who gets an exposure notification needs to take advice about properly isolating.
Do digital contact tracing apps work? Here’s what you need to know.|Cat Ferguson|November 20, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Disability Rights California found the facility uses isolation and solitary confinement excessively, including to isolate people based on medical conditions unnecessarily.
Morning Report: Beiser Unlikely to Leave Board, Despite New Removal Process|Voice of San Diego|November 18, 2020|Voice of San Diego
I assume you want to isolate the noise and not the air pollution.
Please Get Your Noise Out of My Ears (Ep. 439)|Stephen J. Dubner|November 12, 2020|Freakonomics

It’s different for a person who has been painfully isolated for months than it is for someone who has had contact with their family.
How to have a safer — but not safe — pandemic Thanksgiving|Brian Resnick|November 11, 2020|Vox
At each corner of the Vesta plate is a slot into which the isolator fits, as shown in Fig. 263.
The Automobile Storage Battery|O. A. Witte
The pressure causes the isolator to straighten out, and the indentations fit snugly under the respective hooks on the plates.
The Automobile Storage Battery|O. A. Witte
It will be seen that the "D" isolator is of one piece only (shown separately in Fig. 266).
The Automobile Storage Battery|O. A. Witte

British Dictionary definitions for isolate

isolate

verb (ˈaɪsəˌleɪt) (tr)

to place apart; cause to be alone

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

to obtain (a compound) in an uncombined form

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

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

noun (ˈaɪsəlɪt)

an isolated person or group

Derived forms of isolate

isolable, adjectiveisolability, nounisolator, noun

Word Origin for isolate

C19: back formation from isolated, via Italian from Latin insulātus, literally: made into an island; see insulate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

isolate

Origin of isolate

OTHER WORDS FROM isolate

Words related to isolate

How to use isolate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for isolate

Derived forms of isolate

Word Origin for isolate