INDEX:
1. not together
2. to separate something into two or more parts
3. to become separated into two different parts
4. when something keeps two things, places, or people separate
5. to separate things or people so that they are no longer close or touching
6. to separate people from each other, the rest of society etc
7. when two or more people stop having a relationship, friendship etc
8. to deliberately separate yourself from another person, group etc
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ WITH/TOGETHER
↑ JOIN
see also
↑ ALONE
↑ INDEPENDENT
↑ RELATIONSHIP
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1. not together
▷ separate /ˈsep ə rɪt, ˈsep ə rət/ [adjective]
not together :
▪ All the children have separate bedrooms.
▪ a university with three separate campuses
▪ The cities of Long Beach and Los Angeles are completely separate.
separate from
▪ The nursery was separate from the main school.
keep something separate
▪ He likes to keep his work and his family life separate.
▪ Keep your bank card and your PIN number separate.
▷ apart /əˈpɑːʳt/ [adverb]
if people or things are apart, they are in different places and there is a distance between them :
▪ I hate it when we’re apart.
live apart
▪ Jo and Sam decided to try living apart for a while.
move/drift apart
▪ Since the universe began, the galaxies have gradually moved further apart.
apart from
▪ Helen noticed one little boy standing apart from the rest of the group.
50 miles/100 kilometres etc apart
▪ The two cities are less than 30 km apart.
keep somebody apart
▪ The two sets of rival fans had to be kept apart by the police.
▷ separately /ˈsep ə rɪtli, ˈsep ə rətli/ [adverb]
not together, but at separate times or in separate places :
▪ The couple arrived separately at London Airport yesterday.
▪ Books for more advanced students are listed separately.
▪ Each of the men talked to her separately after the meeting.
2. to separate something into two or more parts
▷ separate /ˈsepəreɪt/ [transitive verb]
▪ This is a technique used to separate the components of a mixture.
separate something into something
▪ He sat at a desk, separating a pile of mail into ‘urgent' and ’non-urgent'.
▷ divide /dɪˈvaɪd, dəˈvaɪd/ [transitive verb]
to separate something into a number of separate parts or things :
divide something into something
▪ We divided the pizza into three and had a slice each.
▪ Some of the big old houses have been divided into apartments.
divide up something/divide something up
▪ He said that dividing up the company would make the units more profitable.
▷ split /splɪt/ [transitive verb]
to separate something that used to be a single thing or a single group into two or more different parts :
▪ Rutherford first split the atom on 3rd January 1919.
split something in half/in two
so that it makes two equal parts
▪ He split the company in half, and then sold both new companies to different buyers.
split something into something
into two, three etc parts
▪ For this exercise, I’m going to split the class into three groups.
▷ break up /ˌbreɪk ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to separate something into several smaller parts :
break up something
▪ The police were attacked as they tried to break up the crowd.
break something up
▪ If you have to give a long explanation, try to break it up.
break something up into something
▪ You can break a subject up into sections and guide your learners through it one section at a time.
▷ break down /ˌbreɪk ˈdaʊn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to separate something such as a report or a job into parts, especially in order to make it easier to understand or easier to do :
break down something
▪ Try to break down the calculation and get the students to do it in stages.
break something down
▪ If you find a piece of music hard to play, break it down into small sections and practise each one slowly.
▷ take apart /ˌteɪk əˈpɑːʳt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to separate a machine, piece of equipment etc into parts :
take something apart
▪ He’d shown her how to take a gun apart and clean it.
take apart something
▪ He spends his time taking apart old clocks and watches.
▷ dismantle /dɪsˈmæntl/ [transitive verb]
to separate a large or complicated machine into parts, for example so that it can no longer be used or in order to make it easier to move, repair etc :
▪ Jimmy was in the garage, dismantling his bike.
▪ The first thing the soldiers did was to dismantle the enemy’s surveillance equipment.
▷ take something to pieces /ˌteɪk something tə ˈpiːsə̇z/ [verb phrase]
to separate something into pieces, especially in order to check for a fault or to clean it :
▪ He took the toy to pieces to find out how it worked.
▪ The parcel contained a gun that had been taken to pieces.
3. to become separated into two different parts
▷ separate /ˈsepəreɪt/ [intransitive verb]
to become separated into different parts, usually in a natural way :
▪ Hair conditioner helps your curls to separate.
separate into
▪ The whole process separates quite naturally into three smaller stages.
▪ As the milk turns sour, it separates into thick curds and watery liquid.
separate from
▪ At this point, the satellite separates from its launcher.
▷ split /splɪt/ [intransitive verb]
to become separated into two or more parts or groups :
▪ What happens when an atom splits?
split into
▪ The class split into two. Half of us went to the museum and half to the cathedral.
▪ When you electrolyse water it splits into hydrogen and oxygen.
▷ break up /ˌbreɪk ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to separate into several smaller parts :
▪ In spring the icebergs begin to break up.
▪ The crowd broke up slowly.
break up into
▪ Eventually, the old ruling group broke up into a number of political parties.
▷ be in pieces /biː ɪn ˈpiːsə̇z/ [verb phrase]
if something is in pieces, it has been separated into pieces :
▪ The table Alan was supposed to have put together was still in pieces when I arrived home.
▪ Within a few minutes he had the car engine in pieces on the garage floor.
▷ come to pieces /ˌkʌm tə ˈpiːsə̇z/ [verb phrase]
if something comes to pieces, it is designed so that it can be broken into its separate parts without being damaged :
▪ The bed comes to pieces, so we can fit it in the car.
4. when something keeps two things, places, or people separate
▷ separate /ˈsepəreɪt/ [transitive verb]
▪ A tall fence separates the two houses.
▪ Items in the list should be separated by commas.
separate something from something
▪ The diaphragm is the strong muscular wall that separates the chest from the stomach.
▷ divide /dɪˈvaɪd, dəˈvaɪd/ [transitive verb]
to keep two areas or two parts of an area separate from each other :
▪ Only a thin partition divides the room.
divide something from something
▪ A busy highway divides one half of the town from the other.
▪ The chapel is divided from the rest of the church by a screen.
5. to separate things or people so that they are no longer close or touching
▷ separate /ˈsepəreɪt/ [transitive verb]
▪ If you two don’t stop talking during class, I’ll have to separate you.
▪ Some of the pages had got stuck together and I couldn’t separate them.
separate something from something
▪ Break an egg into a bowl and separate the white from the yolk.
▪ Farmers separate calves from their mothers when they are only a few days old.
▷ part /pɑːʳt/ [transitive verb]
to separate two things or parts that are together, making a space in the middle of them :
▪ Joe parted the curtains and the sunlight came flooding in.
▪ She parted the branches with her hands as she moved further into the forest.
▷ keep apart /ˌkiːp əˈpɑːʳt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to stop things from touching each other or coming together, especially in order to prevent something from happening :
▪ The plastic casing keeps the wires apart.
▪ After mating, male and female sheep are usually kept apart.
6. to separate people from each other, the rest of society etc
▷ separate /ˈsepəreɪt/ [transitive verb]
to keep two or more people apart, especially so that they cannot cause any trouble together :
▪ Teachers thought it best to separate Paul and Fred and put them in different classes.
separate somebody from somebody
▪ Separating prisoners from each other is sometimes the only way of preventing riots.
▷ keep somebody apart /ˌkiːp somebody əˈpɑːʳt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to separate two or more people so that they cannot talk to or harm each other :
▪ At the party it seemed only sensible to keep her ex-husband and her new boyfriend apart.
keep sb apart from
▪ Sex offenders are often kept apart from other prisoners for their own safety.
▷ isolate /ˈaɪsəleɪt/ [transitive verb]
to keep someone away from other people, especially because they are suffering from an infectious disease :
▪ We used to routinely isolate people who had measles.
isolate somebody from
▪ The six other patients were immediately isolated from the infected four.
isolation /ˌaɪsəˈleɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
▪ She could not bear the isolation of being at home alone all day.
▷ cut somebody off from /ˌkʌt somebody ˈɒf frɒm/ [verb phrase]
to separate someone from the people they are usually with :
▪ She realized that he was trying to cut her off from her friends.
▪ It’s easy to get cut off from your family when you first go overseas.
▷ segregate /ˈsegrɪgeɪt/ [transitive verb]
to separate one group of people from others, especially because of their race, sex, religion etc :
▪ Schools should not segregate children with disabilities.
▪ Faith-based schools would only segregate society further.
be segregated from
▪ Male prisoners were strictly segregated from the females.
segregated [adjective]
▪ At that time, the beaches in South Africa were segregated.
▷ segregation /ˌsegrɪˈgeɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
the practice of keeping people of different races apart and making them live, work, or study separately, especially because one race believes that members of the other race are not as good as they are :
▪ Racial segregation in schools still exists in some southern states.
▪ Civil rights protestors called for an end to all segregation.
▷ apartheid /əˈpɑːʳtheɪt, -teɪt, -taɪt, -taɪd/ [uncountable noun]
the former South African political and social system in which black and white races had to go to separate schools, live in separate areas etc as a way of keeping white people in their position of power :
▪ Mandela was in prison for over 25 years for opposing apartheid in South Africa.
▪ an anti-apartheid organization
▷ in quarantine /ɪn ˈkwɒrəntiːnǁ-ˈkwɑː-/ [adverb]
separated from other people because you have or may have an infectious illness that they could catch if they were with you :
▪ One of the crew caught smallpox, and soon they were all in quarantine.
put somebody in quarantine
▪ All animals entering the UK used to have to be put in quarantine.
7. when two or more people stop having a relationship, friendship etc
▷ separate /ˈsepəreɪt/ [intransitive verb]
to start to live apart from a sexual partner you used to live with or are married to :
▪ They separated several years ago, but they’re not divorced.
▪ Kids are put under a tremendous emotional strain when their parents separate.
▷ split up /ˌsplɪt ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if two people split up, they stop having a relationship with each other, especially a sexual relationship :
▪ They’re always arguing, but I don’t think they’ll ever split up.
split up with
▪ He started drinking heavily after he split up with Debbie.
▷ part /pɑːʳt/ [intransitive verb]
to separate from someone so that your relationship ends - used especially in literature :
▪ They parted in a fairly amicable way.
▪ She hoped that she and Jonathan would never part.
▷ break up /ˌbreɪk ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if two people break up, or if their relationship breaks up, they stop having a relationship with each other :
▪ Tom and I broke up last year.
▪ Newspaper stories often have a lot to do with showbusiness marriages breaking up.
break up with
▪ I can’t imagine ever breaking up with my wife.
break-up /ˈbreɪk ʌp/ [countable noun]
▪ What finally caused the break-up of your marriage?
▷ drift apart /ˌdrɪft əˈpɑːʳt/ [verb phrase]
if people drift apart, they gradually become less friendly and see each other less, until their relationship finally ends :
▪ Over the years my schoolfriends and I have drifted apart.
▪ Teddy and Maria never really argued -- they just drifted apart.
▷ go their separate ways /ˌgəʊ ðeəʳ ˌsep ə rə̇t ˈweɪz/ [verb phrase]
if a group of friends go their separate ways, they each go to different places and start doing different things :
▪ After we left college we all went our separate ways and I never saw those friends again.
▷ estranged /ɪˈstreɪndʒd/ [adjective]
separated from a relation, especially a close one such as a husband or mother, so that you almost never see them, for example because you have had a serious argument :
somebody’s estranged wife/husband/father etc
▪ He is hoping for a reconciliation with his estranged wife Hillary.
▪ In 1975, he wrote a formal letter to his estranged father.
be estranged from somebody
▪ We provide support to people who are estranged from their families.
▷ separation /ˌsepəˈreɪʃ ə n/ [countable/uncountable noun]
a situation in which a husband and wife agree to live apart from each other even though they are still married :
▪ In the case of separation or divorce, the children’s needs should come first.
▪ Since the separation they’ve each been seeing different people.
trial separation
to see if it is better or worse being separated
▪ He said he understood her doubts and perhaps a trial separation might be the answer.
8. to deliberately separate yourself from another person, group etc
▷ split from /ˈsplɪt frɒm/ [verb phrase]
to deliberately separate yourself from a larger group or organization, especially because you no longer want to work with them :
▪ Last year, he split from the rock band, "Hot City'.
▪ The left wing of the party is likely to split from its parent organization.
▷ cut yourself off /ˌkʌt jɔːʳself ˈɒf/ [verb phrase]
to deliberately separate yourself from a group of people, usually permanently, because you want to be alone or independent :
▪ She had cut herself off, and when David left her she had no one to turn to.
cut yourself off from
▪ Quite deliberately, she cut herself off from the rest of the family.
▷ sever links/connections/relations/ties /ˌsevəʳ ˈlɪŋks, kəˈnekʃ ə nz, rɪˈleɪʃ ə nz, ˈtaɪz/ [verb phrase]
to formally and permanently end a relationship with another person, company, country etc :
▪ Throughout the seventies, the government was urged to sever all links with South Africa.
▪ Tobolewski, like many immigrants into America, severed all his ties with his Polish background.
▷ detach/distance yourself from /dɪˈtætʃ, ˈdɪst ə ns jɔːʳself frɒm/ [verb phrase]
to deliberately separate yourself from a person, organization etc, because you do not want people to think you are connected with it or are responsible for something that they are doing :
▪ The government is seeking to detach itself from the latest financial scandal.
▪ Diplomats saw his resignation as a way of distancing himself from an unpopular government.