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⇱ separate - WordReference.com Dictionary of English


separate

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations adjective: /ˈsɛpərət/, noun: /ˈsɛpəreɪt/

US:USA pronunciation: IPAUSA pronunciation: IPA/v. ˈsɛpəˌreɪt; adj., n. -ərɪt/

US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(v. sepə rāt′; adj., n. sepər it)


Inflections of 'separate' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
separates
v 3rd person singular
separating
v pres p
separated
v past
separated
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
sep•a•rate /v. ˈsɛpəˌreɪt; adj., n. -ərɪt/USA pronunciation   v., -rat•ed, -rat•ing, adj., n. 
v. 
  1. to (cause to) come or draw apart;
    divide: [+ object]to separate two fighting boys.[+ object + from + object]The school separates the boys from the girls.[no object]The two fighters separated, then went after each other again.
  2. to divide into pieces: [+ object]Separate the strips of bacon and fry them individually.[no object]After defrosting, the strips of bacon will separate easily.
  3. to (cause to) become extracted: [+ object]to separate metal from ore.[no object]The metal easily separates from the ore.
  4. to stop living together but without divorce:[no object]He and his wife separated last year.

adj. 
  1. detached;
    not connected:a garage separate from the house.
  2. different:five separate meanings.
  3. not shared;
    individual:[before a noun]separate checks.

n. 
  1. ClothingUsually, separates. [plural] women's clothing to be worn in various combinations.
sep•a•rate•ly, adv. See -pare-1.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
sep•a•rate  (v. sepə rāt′;adj., n. sepər it),USA pronunciation v., -rat•ed, -rat•ing, adj., n. 
v.t. 
  1. to keep apart or divide, as by an intervening barrier or space:to separate two fields by a fence.
  2. to put, bring, or force apart;
    part:to separate two fighting boys.
  3. to set apart;
    disconnect;
    dissociate:to separate church and state.
  4. to remove or sever from association, service, etc., esp. 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 fol. by from or out):to separate metal from ore.
  7. Mathematicsto 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.Cf. separation of variables. 

v.i. 
  1. to part company;
    withdraw from personal association (often fol. by from):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.

adj. 
  1. detached, disconnected, or disjoined.
  2. unconnected;
    distinct;
    unique:two separate questions.
  3. being or standing apart;
    distant or dispersed:two separate houses; The desert has widely separate oases.
  4. existing or maintained independently:separate organizations.
  5. individual or particular:each separate item.
  6. not shared;
    individual or private:separate checks; separate rooms.
  7. (sometimes cap.) noting or pertaining to a church or other organization no longer associated with the original or parent organization.

n. 
  1. ClothingUsually, 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. Printing, Library Scienceoffprint (def. 1).
  3. Library Sciencea 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.
  • Latin sēparātus (past participle of sēparāre), equivalent. to sē- se- + par(āre) to furnish, produce, obtain, prepare + -ātus -ate1
  • late Middle English (noun, nominal and adjective, adjectival) 1400–50
sepa•rate•ly, adv. 
sepa•rate•ness, n. 
    1. 2. sever, sunder, split. 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. 3. disjoin, disengage. 13. unattached, severed, discrete. 15. secluded, isolated. 16. independent.
    1. –3. unite, connect.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
separate vb /ˈsɛpəˌreɪt/
  1. (transitive) to act as a barrier between: a range of mountains separates the two countries
  2. to part or be parted from a mass or group
  3. (transitive) to discriminate between: to separate the men from the boys
  4. to divide or be divided into component parts; sort or be sorted
  5. to sever or be severed
  6. (intransitive) (of a married couple) to cease living together by mutual agreement or after obtaining a decree of judicial separation
adj /ˈsɛprɪt; ˈsɛpərɪt/
  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
Etymology: 15th Century: from Latin sēparāre, from sē- apart + parāre to obtainˈseparately adv ˈseparateness n
'separate' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: separate and [distinct, independent], separated from the [others, rest], [surplus, discount, clothing, suiting, fashion] separates, more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "separate" in the title:

'pursuant to' and 'separate from'
3 separate occasion in a 12 month period
5 times vs 5 separate times
A collective noun is one that in the singular form denotes a number of separate persons or things.
a separate force?
a <separate> unit
a separate unit of software
According to our separate capacities
Allophone or separate phonemes
An operation to have separated vs An operation to separate.
an operation <to have separated>/<to separate> one-year-old twins
and they may be sent to you in a separate package
are to be kept separate
Arrive in separate email?
as distinct institutions in separate quarters
as/in a separate thread
backed with innumerable separate movements
before further separate the phones
best kept separate
break: separate into pieces or stop working
By separate mail, I send you instructions
Can I say them in one sentence? or need to separate?
Can miles truly separate you from friends
combining separate sentences in one
Commas to separate adjectives
Dialog on separate document [in a screenplay]
Distances/Distance & Separates/Separate?
divide the time period/separate /allocate ..?
divide vs. separate?
Does my sentence (run-in list) need a semicolon to separate two items with internal commas?
more...

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