apart

1 of 2

adverb

ə-ˈpärt 

1

a

: at a little distance

tried to keep apart from the family squabbles

b

: away from one another in space or time

towns 20 miles apart

2

a

: as a separate unit : independently

Viewed apart, his arguments were unsound.

b

: so as to separate one from another

I found it hard to tell the twins apart.

3

: excluded from consideration : aside

A few blemishes apart, the novel is excellent.

4

: in or into two or more parts : to pieces

coming apart at the seams

see also take apart

apart

2 of 2

adjective

1

: separate, isolated

Those athletes are a breed apart.

2

: holding different opinions : divided

The councilors are still apart.

apartness noun

Synonyms of apart

Adverb

• to pieces
• asunder

Examples of apart in a Sentence

Adverb

He stood with his feet planted far apart.

He stood apart while the other members of the team celebrated.

Their children were born two years apart.

My wife and I are unhappy when we're apart.

They separated and have been living apart for the past year.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Harry candidly discussed that if his mother were alive, a rift wouldn't have driven him and Prince William apart. —Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025

Historians once believed the plague to have been carried into Italy by sailors fleeing a battle in the east, but that theory has fallen apart in recent years. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 4 Dec. 2025

Adjective

Wash on the regular cycle and use a heavy-duty detergent containing enzymes to break apart soil and stains. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 29 Nov. 2025

Crews used groundwater to mix cement and suppress dust from blasting apart rock and drilling into the dirt. —Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 20 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English, from Anglo-French a part, literally, to one side

Adjective

derivative of apart entry 1

First Known Use

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1680, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing apart

• a breed apart
• apart from
• apart from anything else
• a world apart
• a world apart from
• come apart
• come apart at the seams
• come/fall apart at the seams
• doors down/up/apart
• fall apart
• grow apart
• joking apart
• pick apart
• poles apart
• pull apart
• quite apart from
• rip apart
• set apart
• take apart
• tear apart
• tell apart
• worlds apart

Rhymes for apart

• depart
• flowchart
• forepart
• impart
• pushcart
• rampart
• redstart
• restart
• subpart
• sweetheart
• upstart
• art

Kids Definition

apart

1 of 2 adverb

ə-ˈpärt 

1

: away from each other

five miles apart

2

: as something separate

viewed apart from the other

3

: in or into two or more parts

took the clock apart

4

: one from another

can't tell the twins apart

apart

2 of 2 adjective

: separate from others

in a place apart

apartness noun