separate

[sep-uh-reyt, sep-er-it]

verb (used with object)

separated, separating 

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.

verb (used without object)

separated, separating 

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

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

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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of separate¹

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”; prepare

Word History and Origins

Origin of separate¹

C15: from Latin sēparāre, from sē- apart + parāre to obtain

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

The women were separated “on the scene,” according to police, and both parties were interviewed by officers.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles County sheriff’s homicide detectives investigating the scene found the decapitated children in separate bedrooms the following Friday.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Beverley indicated in a separate post the next day that his sister “just turned 15.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In a separate case, Mr Lynch was extradited to the US in 2023 to face criminal charges, and he was cleared of fraud charges in 2024.

Read more on BBC

“While it once might have made sense to partition apps into separate markets of social networking and social media, that wall has since broken down,” said Judge James Boasberg in his decision.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• autonomous 
• different 
• distinct 
• diverse 
• free 
• independent 
• particular 
• single 
• unique 
• various