separation

American  

[sep-uh-rey-shuhn] / ˌsɛp əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

• separations
  plural

1. an act or instance of separating or the state of being separated.

2. a place, line, or point of parting.

3. a gap, hole, rent, or the like.

4. something that separates or divides.

5. Law.

   1. cessation of conjugal cohabitation, as by mutual consent.

   2. judicial separation.

6. Aerospace. the time or act of releasing a burned-out stage of a rocket or missile from the remainder.

7. Photography. separation negative.

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separation British  

/ ˌsɛpəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of separating or state of being separated

2. the place or line where a separation is made

3. a gap that separates

4. family law the cessation of cohabitation between a man and wife, either by mutual agreement or under a decree of a court Compare judicial separation divorce

5. 1. the act of jettisoning a burnt-out stage of a multistage rocket

   2. the instant at which such a stage is jettisoned

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonseparation
  noun
• preseparation
  noun
• reseparation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• separations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of separation

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin sēparātiōn- (stem of sēparātiō ), equivalent to sēparāt ( us ) separate + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

When two things that were together come apart, it's a separation, whether they're the two halves of your Oreo or a married couple splitting up. If you leave your beloved cat to go to college, it's a separation — the two of you are parting ways, at least for a little while. The root is the Latin word separare, which means "to pull apart." A separation from someone you care about can be hard, but the trickiest thing about separation is remembering how to spell it. One common trick is to keep in mind that there's "a rat" in the middle of the word.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

separation separations

SpaceX has also said the primary goal for Starship’s Super Heavy booster is to execute a successful launch, ascent and stage separation, followed by a boostback burn and landing burn in the Gulf of Mexico.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

The company said it was exploring various paths to complete the separation, which it aimed to finish within 18 to 24 months.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

Winning that competition would complete the county’s separation from LAHSA.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

The measurements allowed the team to trace hydrogen across distances of several million light-years, roughly comparable to the separation between the Milky Way and the neighboring Andromeda galaxy.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026

Now they were faced with the realization of separation, and in the appalled silence that followed the decision Longridge watched Elizabeth’s face screw up in the prelude to tears.

From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford

The company later described him as “a key architect of one of the largest and most complex corporate separations in business history.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

There's only one drawback: "long separations from the family during assignments," he says from Kosovo, where he is helping install a wind farm.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

And just a few weeks ago, civil rights lawyers joined with parents’ and children’s advocates to bring landmark class-action litigation to end illegal family separations.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

The membranes could also benefit pharmaceutical production, where highly accurate separations are critical for product quality and manufacturing efficiency.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 12, 2026

Moving between Washington and Montpelier meant frequent separations from Fanny and their children: Felix, William, Frances, John, and Franklin.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Related Words

• departure
• disengagement
• dissolution
• divorce
• estrangement
• partition
• segregation
• split