separation
Americannoun
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an act or instance of separating or the state of being separated.
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a place, line, or point of parting.
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a gap, hole, rent, or the like.
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something that separates or divides.
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Law.
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cessation of conjugal cohabitation, as by mutual consent.
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Aerospace. the time or act of releasing a burned-out stage of a rocket or missile from the remainder.
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Photography. separation negative.
noun
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the act of separating or state of being separated
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the place or line where a separation is made
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a gap that separates
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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
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the act of jettisoning a burnt-out stage of a multistage rocket
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the instant at which such a stage is jettisoned
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing separation
Blasted to Smithereens: Synonyms for "Break"
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se (apart)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In 2006, the state expanded fire-safe landscaping rules that require property owners to create separation between trees and shrubs and remove dead vegetation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Lawyers say a desire to avoid repeating the pain of a previous separation, or the messy splits that they saw their parents go through, is a prime motivation for many couples.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
There are lots of parallels between these two stories: family members getting separated from loved ones, then turning to the courts, specifically to habeas corpus petitions, to claim that the separation is unlawful.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Chief Executive Vimal Kapur said the separation of Honeywell Aerospace during the recent quarter marked the beginning of a new era, with Honeywell Technologies now functioning as a pure-play automation company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Mrs. Weasley did not look entirely convinced, but allowed the separation, scurrying off toward Flourish and Blotts with her husband and Ginny while Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid set off for Madam Malkin’s.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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
The plaintiffs are seeking a preliminary injunction to maintain the status quo of their employment pending arbitration, and to prevent Meta from completing their separations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 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
The Grants have been married for more than twenty years and have endured many long separations due to military life.
From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
