separate

To divide things or move them apart so they are no longer joined or together.

• Separate the two pieces carefully.
• She separated the clothes into piles.
• Can you separate the egg whites from the yolks?

How to use it: separate A from B (Separate the white clothes from the dark ones.); separate something into something (Separate the class into three groups.)

Similar words: divide, split, disconnect

Opposites: join, combine

Common phrases: separate into groups, separate something from something, separate the eggs, separate the parts

Not together, shared, or treated as one thing.

• We sleep in separate rooms.
• They keep separate bank accounts.
• Are these two issues completely separate from each other?

How to use it: separate from something (Keep your work separate from your personal life.)

Similar words: distinct, individual

Opposites: joint, shared

Common phrases: separate rooms, keep something separate, separate from something

Not joined or physically connected to another part or object.

• The handle is a separate piece.
• The box arrived in three separate parts.
• Their office is in a separate building.

How to use it: separate from something (The garage is separate from the house.)

Similar words: detached, unconnected

Opposites: attached, connected

Common phrases: separate pieces, separate part, separate from something