separator

American  

[sep-uh-ray-ter] / ˈsɛp əˌreɪ tər /

noun

1. a person or thing that separates.

2. any of various apparatus for separating one thing from another, as cream from milk, steam from water, or wheat from chaff.

3. Electricity. a device that prevents metal contact between plates of opposite charge in a storage battery.

4. Machinery. retainer.

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separator British  

/ ˈsɛpəˌreɪtə /

noun

1. a person or thing that separates

2. a device for separating things into constituent parts, as milk into cream, etc

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Other Word Forms

• preseparator
  noun
• separatory
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of separator

1600–10; < Late Latin sēparātor, equivalent to Latin sēparā ( re ) to separate + -tor -tor

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

separator

“He’s had good outings, he’s chewed up a lot of innings. But when you can get the swing-and-miss in the zone, that’s kind of a separator for any pitcher.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026

The South Korean lithium-battery separator supplier is facing persistent risks from a slowdown in U.S. electric-vehicle demand, the Daiwa analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025

Now the Chinese SemCorp separator foil factory and the Chinese EcoPro cathode plant have sprung up too.

From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2024

A big separator between Tolvanen and that departed duo is his impact on other players and the chemistry he’s developed with points leader Bjorkstrand and centerman Gourde.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 28, 2024

A man stood at the board and cut the bands on the bundles and crowded the bundles one at a time into a hole at the end of the separator.

From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder

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