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separate

American  

[sep-uh-rayt, sep-er-it] / ˈsɛp əˌreɪt, ˈsɛp ər ɪt /

verb (used with object)

• separates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• separated,
  past participle,  past
• separating
  present participle

1. 

   to keep apart or divide, as by an intervening barrier or space.

   to separate two fields by a fence.

   Synonyms:

   split, sunder, sever

   Antonyms:

   connect, unite

2. to put, bring, or force apart; part.

   to separate two fighting boys.

   Synonyms:

   split, sunder, sever

   Antonyms:

   connect, unite

3. to set apart; disconnect; dissociate.

   to separate church and state.

   Synonyms:

   disengage, disjoin

   Antonyms:

   connect, unite

4. to remove or sever from association, service, etc., especially legally or formally.

   He was separated from the army right after V-E Day.

5. to sort, part, divide, or disperse (an assemblage, mass, compound, etc.), as into individual units, components, or elements.

6. to take by parting or dividing; extract (usually followed by from orout ).

   to separate metal from ore.

7. Mathematics. to write (the variables of a differential equation) in a form in which the differentials of the independent and dependent variables are, respectively, functions of these variables alone.

   We can separate the variables to solve the equation.

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verb (used without object)

• separates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• separated,
  past participle,  past
• separating
  present participle

1. to part company; withdraw from personal association (often followed byfrom ).

   to separate from a church.

2. (of a married pair) to stop living together but without getting a divorce.

3. to draw or come apart; become divided, disconnected, or detached.

4. to become parted from a mass or compound.

   Cream separates from milk.

5. to take or go in different directions.

   We have to separate at the crossroad.

adjective

1. detached, disconnected, or disjoined.

   Synonyms:

   discrete, unattached

2. unconnected; distinct; unique.

   two separate questions.

3. being or standing apart; distant or dispersed.

   two separate houses;

   The desert has widely separate oases.

   Synonyms:

   isolated, secluded

4. existing or maintained independently.

   separate organizations.

   Synonyms:

   independent

5. individual or particular.

   each separate item.

6. not shared; individual or private.

   separate checks;

   separate rooms.

7. Sometimes Separate noting or relating to a church or other organization no longer associated with the original or parent organization.

noun

1. Usually separates women's outer garments that may be worn in combination with a variety of others to make different ensembles, as matching and contrasting blouses, skirts, and sweaters.

2. offprint.

3. a bibliographical unit, as an article, chapter, or other portion of a larger work, printed from the same type but issued separately, sometimes with additional pages.

separate British  

verb

1. (tr) to act as a barrier between

   a range of mountains separates the two countries

2. to put or force or be put or forced apart

3. to part or be parted from a mass or group

4. (tr) to discriminate between

   to separate the men from the boys

5. to divide or be divided into component parts; sort or be sorted

6. to sever or be severed

7. (intr) (of a married couple) to cease living together by mutual agreement or after obtaining a decree of judicial separation

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adjective

1. existing or considered independently

   a separate problem

2. disunited or apart

3. set apart from the main body or mass

4. distinct, individual, or particular

5. solitary or withdrawn

6. (sometimes capital) designating or relating to a Church or similar institution that has ceased to have associations with an original parent organization

Synonym Usage

Separate, divide imply a putting apart or keeping apart of things from each other. To separate is to remove from each other things previously associated: to separate a mother from her children. To divide is to split or break up carefully according to measurement, rule, or plan: to divide a cake into equal parts.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• separateness
  noun
• unseparateness
  noun
• reseparate
  verb
• preseparate
  verb (used with object)
• nonseparating
  adjective
• unseparate
  adjective
• unseparated
  adjective
• unseparating
  adjective
• well-separated
  adjective
• separately
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• separating
  present
• separated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• separate
  simple
• separates
  simple
• have separated
  perfect
• has separated
  perfect
• am separating
  progressive
• are separating
  progressive
• is separating
  progressive
• have been separating
  perfect progressive
• has been separating
  perfect progressive

Past

• separated
  simple
• had separated
  perfect
• was separating
  progressive
• were separating
  progressive
• had been separating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will separate
  simple
• will have separated
  perfect
• will be separating
  progressive
• will have been separating
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of separate

First recorded in 1400–50; from late Middle English (noun and adjective), from Latin sēparātus, past participle of sēparāre, equivalent to sē- se- + parāre “to furnish, produce, obtain”; see prepare

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Explanation

Things that are separate are kept apart from other things. A married couple heading for divorce might eat breakfast at separate tables. You can use the adjective separate to describe something that is thought of as different or not related to other things. The adjective is from the Latin prefix se- "apart" plus parare "to prepare." Separate is also used as a verb, pronounced "SEP-uh-rate." Separate is one of the most commonly misspelled words, so beware of the erroneous spelling, seperate.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

separate separates separated separating

The security guards operate under a separate agreement and weren’t part of that deal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

The final Milburn report is expected in the coming weeks, as well as a separate final report from disability minister Stephen Timms into the options for PIP reform.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

A separate report showed the rate of U.S. inflation rose 3.6% in the 12 months ended in September, nearly double the Fed’s 2% goal.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

If the universe naturally evolves away from the behavior predicted by these conventional models, its accelerating expansion might not require a separate form of energy to explain it.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

And that’s when we have a hotel suite with at least one separate bedroom.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

"It's peaceful now," the retired agent says as he stands in front of the enormous wall that separates the United States from Mexico, near the town of San Luis, Arizona.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

And the only thing that separates his experience from the tens of thousands of desperate people he left behind in the camp is the fact someone believed in him enough to give him a chance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

The new approach instead separates information from different regions, allowing researchers to identify atmospheric variations that would otherwise be concealed.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

The choice of cathode material, or how the electrolyte – which separates cathode and anode – is formulated are key details influencing the performance and longevity of sodium ion batteries.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

The star-filled tunnel has been removed, only a single curtain separates the courtyard from the entrance now.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Sandisk’s stock has climbed more than 2,600% since the company separated from Western Digital 20 months ago — and it has one of the highest prices in the S&P 500.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Vanessa Trump separated from Trump Jr in 2018 and announced last year that she had begun dating US pro golfer Tiger Woods.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

Individual mitochondria became more separated, and the balance between energy production and energy demand shifted.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

She has since helped reunify more than 30 children separated from their parents by the war, her office says.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

Four long days trapped with Gran and Viper, separated from my poor sick Fig.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Yaroslavsky described some of the board members as “very talented,” including its president, Steve Kang, and she acknowledges that separating aspects in the measure would have allowed a more focused conversation on public works.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

Fleetwood played Arsenal on Tuesday with 83 places separating the teams and most home fans arriving in hope rather than any expectation.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

She added that separating the brand “would drive significant dis-synergies, investment in the social mission would fall, and selling prices per unit would inflate.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

By separating resistance from the fluid itself from the confinement imposed by channel walls, the researchers could investigate viscosity without the additional mechanical interference that complicates conventional experiments.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

When Miss Lisa slammed the door behind us and locked it, separating us from Grandma, I had an awful feeling inside.

From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals

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