sep·a·rate
ˈse-pə-ˌrāt 
ˈse-ˌprāt
separated; separating
1
a
: to set or keep apart : disconnect, sever
b
: to make a distinction between : discriminate, distinguish
separate religion from magic
c
: sort
separate mail
d
: to disperse in space or time : scatter
widely separated homesteads
3
4
: to block off : segregate
5
a
: to isolate from a mixture : extract
separate cream from milk
b
: to divide into constituent parts
6
: to dislocate (something, such as a shoulder) especially in sports
1
: to become divided or detached
2
a
: to sever an association : withdraw
b
: to cease to live together as a married couple
3
: to go in different directions
4
: to become isolated from a mixture
the crystals separated out
sep·a·rate
ˈse-p(ə-)rət
1
2
a
: not shared with another : individual
separate rooms
b
often capitalized
: estranged from a parent body
separate churches
3
a
: existing by itself : autonomous
a separate country
b
: dissimilar in nature or identity
consulted five separate authorities
sep·a·rate
ˈse-p(ə-)rət
1
: offprint
2
: an article of dress designed to be worn interchangeably with others to form various costume combinations
—usually used in plural
Synonyms
Examples of separate in a Sentence
Verb
Though mechanical grain cutters, called reapers, began appearing around 1800, it was with Cyrus H. McCormick's version that agriculture entered the industrial age. Older reapers simply cut and dropped grain; McCormick's cut, separated, and collected it, increasing production and, ultimately, positioning the American Midwest as the breadbasket to the world.
—
Saveur, June/July 2008
Xanthan gum, for instance … is used in bottled salad dressing to slow the settling of the spice particles and keep water and oil from separating.
—Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 6 Nov. 2007
The fact is that Washington has relaxed financial regulations under both Democratic and Republican administrations, opening the doors to conflicts of interest between brokers and investment bankers. In 1998, government, despite concerns, refused to separate consulting and auditing business.
—Jeff Madrick, New York Times Book Review, 29 Jan. 2006
On July 11 Brinkley's publicist announced the couple had separated. "She has been extremely concerned about the impact of this situation on her children and felt it was very important to protect them and take them away for a little bit," says one of Brinkley's close friends. "She is totally shocked and just devastated."
—Ericka Souter et al., People, 31 July 2006
They described the process used to separate cream from milk.
A great distance separated the sisters from each other.
They walked together to the corner, but then they separated and went their separate ways.
The main group separated into several smaller groups.
Oil and water separate when combined together.
The oil separated from the water.
The salt crystals separated out of the liquid.
Adjective
Today, there are an estimated 30,000 teams playing travel ball, which is entirely separate from more long-standing youth organizations like Little League …
—Sara Corbett, New York Times Sports Magazine, June 2006
On my last visit to Lucio, I went with a Spanish TV starlet whose sultry looks helped us land a prime table. Dining at separate tables around us were the Duchess of Badajoz, the king's sister; novelist Mario Vargas Llosa; and a gentleman rumored to be Spain's richest man.
—Anya von Bremzen, Saveur, November 2006
A variation of these reactions is reflected in the American deaf community, which is divided into two groups. One rejects the notion that they are disabled. Rather, they claim, they are a separate culture with its own language. The second group defines its deafness as a disability and is more likely to assimilate into the able-bodied world.
—Mary Grimley Mason, Working Against Odds, 2004
There are separate restrooms for men and women.
The boys have separate rooms.
They slept in separate beds.
We use the same Internet service provider but have separate accounts.
That's an entirely separate issue.
Noun
"Women have a very strong sense of what works for them," says Lyn Devon, the New York designer who sells a nuanced line of silk separates and tailored dresses from her SoHo studio.
—Jane Herman, Vogue, June 2006
Saveur, June/July 2008
Xanthan gum, for instance … is used in bottled salad dressing to slow the settling of the spice particles and keep water and oil from separating.
—Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 6 Nov. 2007
The fact is that Washington has relaxed financial regulations under both Democratic and Republican administrations, opening the doors to conflicts of interest between brokers and investment bankers. In 1998, government, despite concerns, refused to separate consulting and auditing business.
—Jeff Madrick, New York Times Book Review, 29 Jan. 2006
On July 11 Brinkley's publicist announced the couple had separated. "She has been extremely concerned about the impact of this situation on her children and felt it was very important to protect them and take them away for a little bit," says one of Brinkley's close friends. "She is totally shocked and just devastated."
—Ericka Souter et al., People, 31 July 2006
They described the process used to separate cream from milk.
A great distance separated the sisters from each other.
They walked together to the corner, but then they separated and went their separate ways.
The main group separated into several smaller groups.
Oil and water separate when combined together.
The oil separated from the water.
The salt crystals separated out of the liquid.
Adjective
Today, there are an estimated 30,000 teams playing travel ball, which is entirely separate from more long-standing youth organizations like Little League …
—Sara Corbett, New York Times Sports Magazine, June 2006
On my last visit to Lucio, I went with a Spanish TV starlet whose sultry looks helped us land a prime table. Dining at separate tables around us were the Duchess of Badajoz, the king's sister; novelist Mario Vargas Llosa; and a gentleman rumored to be Spain's richest man.
—Anya von Bremzen, Saveur, November 2006
A variation of these reactions is reflected in the American deaf community, which is divided into two groups. One rejects the notion that they are disabled. Rather, they claim, they are a separate culture with its own language. The second group defines its deafness as a disability and is more likely to assimilate into the able-bodied world.
—Mary Grimley Mason, Working Against Odds, 2004
There are separate restrooms for men and women.
The boys have separate rooms.
They slept in separate beds.
We use the same Internet service provider but have separate accounts.
That's an entirely separate issue.
Noun
"Women have a very strong sense of what works for them," says Lyn Devon, the New York designer who sells a nuanced line of silk separates and tailored dresses from her SoHo studio.
—Jane Herman, Vogue, June 2006
Recent Examples on the Web
Chuck Brooks, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024
Venus will pass to the north of the much-fainter bluish star Regulus (in Leo, the Lion) on the morning of Sept. 19; the planet and star will appear low in the east-northeast predawn sky, separated by just over a half a degree.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 24 Dec. 2024
Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 25 Dec. 2024
Public health restrictions on gatherings prompted the church to consolidate each congregation's separate services.
—Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024
Christina Holevas, Vogue, 2 Dec. 2024
The lengthening, defining formula separates and tints each lash, conditioning all the while with the help of pro-vitamin B5 and panthenol.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for separate 
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Verb
Data held in qubits is affected by data held in other qubits, even when physically separated.
—Chuck Brooks, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024
Venus will pass to the north of the much-fainter bluish star Regulus (in Leo, the Lion) on the morning of Sept. 19; the planet and star will appear low in the east-northeast predawn sky, separated by just over a half a degree.
—Joe Rao, Space.com, 24 Dec. 2024
Adjective
Nearly 10,000 pounds of raw pork sausage and bologna were included in two separate recalls, federal officials announced.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 25 Dec. 2024
Public health restrictions on gatherings prompted the church to consolidate each congregation's separate services.
—Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024
Noun
Budding It girls will fawn over dresses from Jean Paul Gautier and sleek separates from Courrèges.
—Christina Holevas, Vogue, 2 Dec. 2024
The lengthening, defining formula separates and tints each lash, conditioning all the while with the help of pro-vitamin B5 and panthenol.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for separate
Articles Related to separate
Dictionary Entries Near separate
Cite this Entry
“Separate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/separate. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
separate
1 of 3 verb
sep·a·rate
ˈsep-ə-ˌrāt
separated; separating
1
a
: to set or keep apart
separate the pages with a slip of paper
b
: to make a distinction between : distinguish
separate fact from fiction
c
: sort entry 2 sense 1
separate mail
d
: to spread widely in space or time : scatter
widely separated homesteads
2
: to end a relationship with that is bound by a contract
separated from the army
3
: to isolate or become isolated from a mixture
separate cream from milk
4
: to become divided or detached : come apart
5
: to cease to live together as a married couple
6
: to go in different directions
separate
2 of 3 adjective
sep·a·rate
ˈsep-(ə-)rət
1
: set or kept apart
the motel contains fifty separate units
2
: not shared with another : individual
separate rooms
3
: having independent existence
the separate pieces of a puzzle
separately
adverb
separateness
noun
separate
3 of 3 noun
sep·a·rate
ˈsep-(ə-)rət
: an article of dress designed to be worn interchangeably with others to form different outfits
—usually used in plural
Medical Definition
Legal Definition
separate
verb
sep·a·rate
ˈse-pə-ˌrāt
separated; separating
: to cause the separation of
: to undergo a separation
the couple separated last year
compare divorce
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