Separate

/ˈsɛp.(ə.)ɹət/ · verb

Meaning

(transitive) To divide (a thing) into separate parts..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To divide (a thing) into separate parts.
2. (transitive) To disunite from a group or mass; to disconnect.
3. (transitive) To cause (things or people) to be separate.
4. (intransitive) To divide itself into separate pieces or substances.
5. (obsolete) To set apart; to select from among others, as for a special use or service.
6. Apart from (the rest); not connected to or attached to (anything else).
7. (followed by “from”) Not together (with); not united (to).
8. (usually in the plural) Anything that is sold by itself, especially articles of clothing such as blouses, skirts, jackets, and pants.

Example Sentences

Separate the articles from the headings.

Ant taxonomists have decided that anything that's worth separating should be separated at the species level, and have no truck with subspecies at all. Butterfly taxonomists, however, like the triple-barrelled name approach and dote on subspecies. As a result, the numbers of ant species and butterfly species are not directly comparable.

The mesosphere may be described as the earth's intermediate or middle atmosphere, which separates the thermosphere above from the ozonosphere (or stratosphere) below, both of which are responsible for absorption of most of the ultraviolet part of the solar radiation and preventing it from reaching the earth's surface.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

From the fine gold I separate the allay [alloy].

There must be some deep-rooted anti-social principle in every man's nature, so dearly does he love aught that separates him from his kind; or is it but one of the many shapes taken by that mental kaleidoscope, vanity, the varying and the glittering, the desire of distinction, sinking into that of notice?

If the kids get too noisy, separate them for a few minutes.

It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in [the] basket [of a balloon]: […]; […]; or perhaps to muse on the irrelevance of the borders that separate nation states and keep people from understanding their shared environment.

Synonyms for separate

Antonyms for separate

Related Words

Word Forms

• separates
• separating
• separated
• seperate

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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