separate

/sˈɛpɚˌeɪt/ · 3 syllables

Meaning

verb

act as a barrier between; stand between
“The mountain range divides the two countries”
force, take, or pull apart
“He separated the fighting children”
mark as different
“We distinguish several kinds of maple”
separate into parts or portions
“divide the cake into three equal parts”
divide into components or constituents
“Separate the wheat from the chaff”
arrange or order by classes or categories
“How would you classify these pottery shards--are they prehistoric?”
make a division or separation
discontinue an association or relation; go different ways
“The business partners broke over a tax question”
go one's own way; move apart
“The friends separated after the party”
become separated into pieces or fragments
“The figurine broke”
treat differently on the basis of sex or race
come apart
“The two pieces that we had glued separated”

adjective

independent; not united or joint
“a problem consisting of two separate issues”
standing apart; not attached to or supported by anything
“a freestanding bell tower”
separated according to race, sex, class, or religion
“separate but equal”
have the connection undone; having become separate

noun

a separately printed article that originally appeared in a larger publication
a garment that can be purchased separately and worn in combinations with other garments

Developers: get definitions, synonyms, antonyms, rhymes and pronunciation for 147,000 words as JSON with the English Dictionary API (free trial).