separator

[ sep-uh-rey-ter ]

/ ˈsɛp əˌreɪ tər /

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noun

a person or thing that separates.

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

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

Machinery. retainer¹ (def. 3).

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Origin of separator

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

OTHER WORDS FROM separator

pre·sep·a·ra·tor, noun

Words nearby separator

separation of powers, separation of variables, separatism, separatist, separative, separator, separatory, separatrix, Seph., Sephardi, Sephardim

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use separator in a sentence

The methane is extracted from the lake’s deep waters with a gas separator for producing electricity at the KivuWatt power plant in Rwanda.
How AI could help bring a sustainable reckoning to hydropower|Anuradha Varanasi|February 26, 2022|Popular-Science
Finally, a separator inside the cell keeps the two sides separate.
Why Dyson is going all-in on solid-state batteries|Rob Verger|October 25, 2021|Popular-Science
A tiny popup window will appear asking what the platform should use as a separator—you can use Google’s computing power by choosing Detect Automatically, or you can do as in Excel and choose a separator from the menu or type in a custom one.
Three spreadsheet tips to make beginners feel like pros|Sandra Gutierrez G.|October 21, 2021|Popular-Science
The problem, GM said, has been traced to a torn anode tab and a folded separator.
Misaligned factory robot may have sparked Chevy Bolt battery fires|Tim De Chant|August 25, 2021|Ars Technica

One of QuantumScape’s key innovations was developing a solid-state ceramic electrolyte that also serves as the separator.
This super-energy-dense battery could nearly double the range of electric vehicles|James Temple|December 8, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Kuhn-Rikon Egg Separator Frankly, as far as egg separators go, all you really need is this model.
The 2012 Holiday Kitchen Gift Guide|Megan McArdle|December 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Once the separator is clipped onto the cup, you can flip it over the edge.
The 2012 Holiday Kitchen Gift Guide|Megan McArdle|December 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Fat Separator method: Separate broth from solids by pouring through a strainer.
Your Friday Gadget Chef Recipe: Two Day Soup|Megan McArdle|November 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST
At half-past eight I had the three larger children dressed and at breakfast, while I ran the milk through the separator.
The American Country Girl|Martha Foote Crow
In other cases a separator is attached to the steam-pipe between boilers and engines.
A History of the Growth of the Steam-Engine|Robert H. Thurston
Right down in her heart at that minute Elliott vowed that the separator should always be clean.
The Camerons of Highboro|Beth B. Gilchrist
The third channel of the three-way tap is connected, by means of rubber tubing, with the nozzle of an ordinary separator funnel.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique|John William Henry Eyre
Belts on a separator should be looked over every day, and when any lacing is worn, it should be renewed at once.
Farm Engines and How to Run Them|James H. Stephenson

British Dictionary definitions for separator

separator

/ (ˈsɛpəˌreɪtə) /

noun

a person or thing that separates

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

Derived forms of separator

separatory, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012