separation

American  

[sep-uh-rey-shuhn] / ˌsɛp əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

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

• nonseparation noun
• preseparation noun
• reseparation noun

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

Questions are also already being asked about how Duff’s separation from her partner might impact her estrangement from her sister, Hilary.

From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026

"The excellent performance of two-dimensional liquid chromatography allowed separation of the flavoalkaloids from the much more abundant flavonoids, which is why we were able to detect these rare compounds for the first time in Cannabis."

From Science Daily • May 1, 2026

After separation from the surrogate, the pup spends additional time socializing with other juveniles before a potential release along the California coastline north of Santa Barbara, according to Long.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

The separation from the father of her four children upended the retirement she had been envisioning.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

Electromagnetic separation now had widened its lead in development over the other methods.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

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