Separate is a very common word with severalmore than two, but not a large or exact number meanings. It can mean to keep apart, to divide, to move away from someone or something, or to be different and not joined together. It is also used as an adjective for things that are distinctclearly different and easy to tell apart or not connectedjoined or linked so they are not separate.

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-09. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.

Pronunciation

AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).

Accent: General American English

IPA: /ˈsɛpəˌreɪt/

Easy pronunciation: SEP-uh-rate (approximate spelling).

Stress: Stress is on the first syllable for the verb.

Verb sense: to keep things or people apart; to divide them.

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: inaccurate — correction needed. Checked: 2026-10-09. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.

Separate Meaning

to put apart or keep apart

Part of speech: verb

Definition: to keep things or people apart, or to divide them

Example: Please separate the red blocks from the blue ones.

Synonyms for this meaning:

• divide — Works when the meaning is to split things into parts or groups.
• part — Works in the sense of taking things apart or moving them apart.
• split — Works when something is divided into two or more parts.
• disconnect — Works only when the idea is breaking a connection, not for every use of separate.

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-09. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.

Other Meanings of Separate

Meaning 2

to discriminate against

Part of speech: verb

Definition: to treat people differently because of sex, race, or another category

Example: It is illegal to separate employees by race.

Synonyms for this meaning:

• discriminate — Matches this unfair-treatment sense.
• single out — Can fit when one person or group is chosen unfairly for different treatment.

Meaning 3

to sort into groups

Part of speech: verb

Definition: to arrange things into groups or classes

Example: Separate the mail by city before you file it.

Synonyms for this meaning:

• assort — Works for putting items into groups.
• classify — A strong match for organizing by category.
• sort — A common everyday substitute in this sense.
• sort out — Works naturally when items are being organized into groups.
• class — Can work in formal usage, but is less common than classify or sort.

Meaning 4

to come apart

Part of speech: verb

Definition: to become split or fall apart

Example: The zipper on my bag separated.

Synonyms for this meaning:

• come apart — A natural substitute when something breaks into pieces or opens at a seam.
• fall apart — Works when something breaks into pieces or stops holding together.
• break — Broadly related, but less exact because it can mean damage rather than simply separating.
• split up — Can work for objects, but is often used more for groups or relationships.

Meaning 5

to cut or divide into parts

Part of speech: verb

Definition: to divide something into parts or portions

Example: Separate the dough into four pieces.

Synonyms for this meaning:

• carve up — Works when something is divided into sections or shares.
• divide — A direct match in this sense.
• split — Works when one thing is divided into two or more parts.
• split up — Works, but is often more informal.
• dissever — Correct but old-fashioned and uncommon.

Meaning 6

to break up

Part of speech: verb

Definition: to end a relationship or association and go different ways

Example: They separated after ten years together.

Synonyms for this meaning:

• break up — The most natural everyday synonym for relationships.
• part — Works when people stop being together and go different ways.
• split — Common in this sense, especially in informal speech.
• split up — A strong everyday match for ending a relationship.
• break — Can work, but is less specific than break up.

Meaning 7

to pull apart

Part of speech: verb

Definition: to force or pull things apart

Example: A teacher separated the two boys before they could fight.

Synonyms for this meaning:

• divide — Can fit when physically pulling things apart, though it is less vivid than pull apart.
• part — Works when objects or people are moved away from each other.
• disunite — Correct but formal and uncommon.

Meaning 8

to split into branches

Part of speech: verb

Definition: to branch or fork into separate parts

Example: The path separates just past the bridge.

Synonyms for this meaning:

• branch — A good match for roads, rivers, or systems that divide into branches.
• fork — Works for roads, paths, and rivers.
• furcate — Technically correct but very rare.
• ramify — Formal and less common.

Meaning 9

to tell the difference between

Part of speech: verb

Definition: to mark as different or tell apart

Example: This feature separates the two products.

Synonyms for this meaning:

• differentiate — A strong match for showing how things are different.
• distinguish — A common and natural synonym in this sense.
• tell apart — Very natural in everyday English.
• tell — Can work in phrases like 'tell one from another,' but is incomplete on its own.
• secern — Very rare and mostly technical.
• secernate — Very rare and not a practical everyday substitute.
• severalise — Rare and nonstandard in many varieties of English.
• severalize — Rare and nonstandard in many varieties of English.

Meaning 10

to separate on its own

Part of speech: verb

Definition: to come apart

Example: The old paper separated when I touched it.

Synonyms for this meaning:

• divide — Can fit in some contexts, but is less exact than come apart.
• part — Works when one thing moves away from another or opens at a join.

Meaning 11

not joined or attached

Part of speech: adjective

Definition: standing apart and not attached or connected

Example: We rented a house with a separate garage.

Synonyms for this meaning:

• freestanding — Works when something stands alone and is not attached to anything else.

Meaning 12

not connected with something else

Part of speech: adjective

Definition: independent; not united or joint

Example: They run separate businesses.

Meaning 13

kept apart by social categories

Part of speech: adjective

Definition: separated according to race, sex, class, or religion

Example: The school once had separate classes for boys and girls.

Meaning 14

a reprinted article

Part of speech: noun

Definition: a separately printed article that originally appeared in a larger publication

Example: The essay was published as a separate after first appearing in a magazine.

Synonyms for this meaning:

• offprint — A direct match for a separately printed article.
• reprint — Related, but broader than this specific publishing sense.

Meaning 15

an item of clothing sold on its own

Part of speech: noun

Definition: a garment that can be purchased separately and worn with other garments

Example: The shop sells separates that you can mix and match.

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: inaccurate — correction needed. Checked: 2026-10-09. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.

Separate Synonyms

Similar Meaning

• divide
• part
• split
• sort
• classify
• sort out
• break up
• distinguish
• differentiate

to discriminate against

• discriminate
• single out

to sort into groups

• assort
• classify
• sort
• sort out

to come apart

• come apart
• fall apart

to divide into parts

• carve up
• divide
• split
• split up

to break up a relationship

• break up
• part
• split
• split up

to pull apart

• part

to branch or fork

• branch
• fork

to tell the difference between

• differentiate
• distinguish
• tell apart

not attached or connected

• freestanding

a reprinted article

• offprint
• reprint

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-09. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.

Common Mistakes

• Using separate as if it always means 'different' in every context.
• Mixing up separate the verb with separate the adjective.
• Using split up for every sense, including formal or technical ones where divide or classify is better.
• Treating reprint as an exact synonym of separate in the publishing sense; it is broader and less specific.

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-09. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does separate mean in everyday English?

In everyday English, separate often means to keep things apart, divide something, or move away from someone or something.

Is separate a verb or an adjective?

It can be both. As a verb, it means to divide, move apart, or end a connection. As an adjective, it means not joined or not connected.

What are the best synonyms for separate?

The best synonym depends on the sense. Common ones include divide, part, split, classify, distinguish, and break up.

Does separate mean the same as different?

Not exactly. Separate means not joined or kept apart. Different means not the same. They can overlap, but they are not identical.

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-09. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.