self-isolate

verb

self-iso·​late ˌself-ˈī-sə-ˌlāt 

 also  -ˈi-

self-isolated; self-isolating; self-isolates

transitive + intransitive

: to isolate or separate oneself or itself from others

Feelings of shame and a tendency to self-isolate in order to hide the behaviors can result in loss of social support.

—Alex Gitterman

My husband and I are both 85 and have heart problems, so even before the new orders we were self-isolating to avoid getting or passing on coronavirus.

—Louise Cate

Government officials said that public gatherings must be restricted to two people … . Those over 70 should self-isolate themselves.

—Lidia Kelly

self-isolated people/countries

Examples of self-isolate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, these attempts led Hale to becoming very paranoid, more secretive, and to further self-isolate herself from the world. —Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2025

The call came while the young Englishman was self-isolating for two weeks with Covid-19. —Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

Willis attended Moore’s memoir launch in 2019, and the two self-isolated together during the COVID-19 pandemic. —Makena Gera, People.com, 2 Mar. 2025

Committing to ‘uninterrupted concentration’ Throughout his career, Gates has frequently credited his success to his voracious reading habit and ability to self-isolate. —Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 4 Dec. 2024

Strange experiences prompt you to self-isolate as the moon clashes with Neptune. —USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024

Biden returned to his home in Delaware to self-isolate. —Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 22 July 2024

Tom Brenner | Reuters Biden, who is currently self-isolating in Delaware after testing positive for Covid-19 Wednesday, has persistently rejected calls to drop out. —Josephine Rozzelle, CNBC, 18 July 2024

On your radar Biden’s schedule has been cleared since he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and is self-isolating in Delaware. —Keely Bastow, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 18 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-isolate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate