separate

sep|a|rate1 [ `sepərət ] adjective ***

1. ) not together or joined to something else:

My parents have separate bank accounts.

My brother and I always had separate rooms.

They're not divorced but they lead completely separate lives (=do not do things together).

separate from: Clients' funds should be kept separate from the firm's own money.

2. ) different or new:

Answer each question on a separate sheet of paper.

Each apartment has its own separate entrance.

3. ) not related:

Police have killed seven guerrillas in three separate incidents this week.

That's an entirely separate matter.

go your separate ways

to end a relationship with a partner and decide to live or work apart:

The members of the band have decided to go their separate ways.

╾ sep|a|rate|ly adverb:

They arrived at the party separately.

╾ sep|a|rate|ness noun uncount

separate

sep|a|rate 2 [ `sep(ə),reıt ] verb ***

▸ 1 keep/move apart

▸ 2 exist between

▸ 3 divide

▸ 4 be the difference

▸ 5 stop living with someone

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) transitive to keep people or things apart from each other:

The army was called in to help separate the warring factions.

separate someone from someone: The child may be separated from his mother while she receives treatment.

a ) intransitive to move apart and stop being connected to something:

separate from: As he pulled, the pipe separated from the wall and broke.

2. ) transitive to exist between things or people so that they are kept apart:

separate something from something: A large river separates the north of the city from the south.

be separated by something: Their yard is separated from the factory by a tall fence.

They are separated by thousands of miles.

3. ) separate or separate out intransitive or transitive to divide something, or become divided, into different parts:

The two issues need to be separated to discuss them fairly.

separate something into something: The units are separated into the following areas: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

4. ) separate or separate out transitive to be the quality or detail that makes someone or something different from others:

separate someone/something from someone/something: This political skill separates him from other ultra-conservative politicians.

a ) to be the difference between the winner and the others in a competition:

Only three points separated the top two teams.

5. ) intransitive to stop living with your husband, wife, or sexual partner:

Millie's parents separated when she was three.

separate the men from the boys INFORMAL

to show which people are the strongest or bravest:

It's times like these that separate the men from the boys.

,separate `out phrasal verb

1. ) transitive same as SEPARATE 2 4:

Two factors separate out the German middle class from its counterparts in other countries.

2. ) intransitive or transitive same as SEPARATE 2 3:

The material is processed to separate out the impurities.