isolate

1 of 3

verb

iso·​late ˈī-sə-ˌlāt 

 also  ˈi-

isolated; isolating

transitive verb

1

: to set apart from others

also : quarantine

2

: to select from among others

especially : to separate from another substance so as to obtain pure or in a free state

3

: insulate

isolator

ˈī-sə-ˌlā-tər 

 also  ˈi-

noun

isolate

2 of 3

adjective

iso·​late ˈī-sə-lət  -ˌlāt 

 also  ˈi-

: being alone : solitary, isolated

isolate

3 of 3

noun

iso·​late ˈī-sə-lət  -ˌlāt 

 also  ˈi-

1

: an individual, population, strain, or culture obtained by or resulting from selection or separation

2

: an individual socially withdrawn or removed from society

Synonyms

Verb

• separate
• segregate
• remove
• insulate

Noun

• hermit
• solitary

Examples of isolate in a Sentence

Verb

These policies will only serve to isolate the country politically and economically.

Certain patients must be isolated in a separate ward.

When he wants to work, he isolates himself in his office and won't talk to anyone.

Scientists have isolated the gene that causes the disease.

Noun

interpersonal relationships are very stressful for him, so he lives as a virtual isolate

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The nonprofit group was started in 1991, near the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, when a group of friends brought a tray of lasagna to a neighbor who was suffering and isolated. —Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025

Americans are isolating themselves into digital cocoons. —John Blake, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025

Noun

The gun-owning Susan Lorincz isolates and relentlessly harasses and targets Ajike Owens’ family, calling police countless times about such infractions as kids playing on the lawn and them just being kids. —Randy Myers, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025

Once their numbers were sufficient, each isolate was exposed to 10 different treatments – compounds, foods, conditions like changes in oxygen. —New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

back-formation from isolated set apart, from French isolé, from Italian isolato, from isola island, from Latin insula

First Known Use

Verb

1799, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1819, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing isolate

• self-isolate

Rhymes for isolate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

Kids Definition

isolate

verb

iso·​late

ˈī-sə-ˌlāt,

 also  ˈis-ə-

isolated; isolating

: to set or keep apart from others

Etymology

Verb

derived from French isolé (adjective) "isolated, set off from others," from Italian isola "island," from Latin insula "island" — related to insulate, isle, peninsula

Medical Definition

isolate

1 of 2 transitive verb

iso·​late ˈī-sə-ˌlāt 

isolated; isolating

: to set apart from others: as

a

: to separate (one with a contagious disease) from others not similarly infected

b

: to separate (as a chemical compound) from all other substances : obtain pure or in a free state

isolate

2 of 2 noun

iso·​late ˈī-sə-lət  -ˌlāt 

1

: an individual (as a spore or single organism), a viable part of an organism (as a cell), or a strain that has been isolated (as from diseased tissue, contaminated water, or the air)

also : a pure culture produced from such an isolate

2

: a relatively homogeneous population separated from related populations by geographic, biologic, or social factors or by human intervention

3

: a socially withdrawn individual