How to Use separate in a Sentence

separate

1 of 3 verb

• They described the process used to separate cream from milk.
• The oil separated from the water.
• The salt crystals separated out of the liquid.
• A great distance separated the sisters from each other.
• They walked together to the corner, but then they separated and went their separate ways.
• The main group separated into several smaller groups.
• Oil and water separate when combined together.
• That’s one of the things that separates him.
  — Josh Yohe, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
• All these things kind of separate me in such a way that the hip-hop side of it.
  — Kyle Eustice, SPIN, 16 Nov. 2023
• Only time will tell us who is able to separate from the rest.
  — oregonlive, 19 Sep. 2023
• The long arm of the law came and separated us.
  — Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
• This one test is what separates a thorough process from a lazy one.
  — Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
• They were separated at the time of the crash.
  — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
• Each of those fields is separated by a dash.
  — Cate Charron, IndyStar, 2 Sep. 2025
• Each piece separates from the base, which makes storage easy as well.
  — Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
• These are the skills that will separate workers who thrive from those who plateau.
  — Dan Schawbel, CNBC, 6 July 2026
• People have no idea how hard that is to do, to be able to separate those two things.
  — Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
• What separates you from your opponent(s)?
  — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2025
• What separates you from your opponent(s)?
  — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2025
• Quarks crammed in tight can roam about freely, but try to separate them and the glue kicks in with a vengeance.
  — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 6 Feb. 2026
• We have been separated for five years.
  — Wendy Hickey, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026
• And this vibe test could serve as one way to separate the best talent from the rest of the pack.
  — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2026
• The pair were separated in the chaos.
  — Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
• Why he was separated from his mom is a point of debate.
  — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
• That was all Pal needed to separate from the pack.
  — Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
• Those two would never let a little piece of wood separate them.
  — Reshma Gopaldas, IndieWire, 15 May 2026
• Now would be the time to separate the dead from surviving plants.
  — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2026
• Try to lift those pumpkins by the stem, and the rest of the squash separates and goes splat on the ground.
  — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
• Clubs are separated by color, so pick from red, white, or a mix.
  — Kate Dingwall, Peoplemag, 17 Aug. 2023
• Or, lie on your back, bend your knees, separate your feet, and roll one way and then the other.
  — Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 29 May 2026

separate

2 of 3 adjective

• The boys have separate rooms.
• They slept in separate beds.
• There are separate restrooms for men and women.
• We use the same Internet service provider but have separate accounts.
• That's an entirely separate issue.
• Many of her clients have separate agents.
  — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2025
• Since then, both stars have kept busy, but on separate paths.
  — Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2025
• This makes the thin layer of the egg separate from the egg white.
  — Merve Ceylan, Health, 2 Sep. 2025
• But in each case, those returns had to be made via separate laws.
  — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 14 Apr. 2026
• All these news items may appear to be separate events.
  — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2025
• To care for forty cats, building them a separate home of their own?
  — Rebecca Van Laer september 30, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
• This is separate from the girls' school that was struck in Minab.
  — Lucia I Suarez Sang, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026
• View the file on a separate browser page here.
  — Brandi D. Addison, IndyStar, 20 Jan. 2026
• Spiegelman turned on a jazz record, and the three sat down at separate desks.
  — Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2023
• Most ports with cyber teams keep those worlds separate.
  — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
• Place eggs and panko in 2 separate large shallow bowls.
  — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
• The final step will come in a few months when the solids and liquids separate.
  — Andrea Strong, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 May 2026
• My choice would be to go our separate ways during the day and then meet up for dinner.
  — Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2023
• Still, the team likes to keep a separate list of investment ideas to bat around.
  — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 17 Apr. 2026
• Was that purposeful, or was that separate from the whole thing?
  — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
• For groups that want to spread out, there’s a separate ensuite casita next to the main house.
  — Kristine Hansen, Architectural Digest, 30 Apr. 2026
• These are not two separate problems.
  — Shourya Vir Jain, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
• There’s also a separate pool house with a guest suite, plus an attached two-car garage.
  — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 10 Mar. 2026
• Separate payroll tax funds right away.
  — Kat Boogaard, CNBC, 24 Mar. 2026
• Each bond required a separate vote by the board, and all failed 3-2.
  — Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
• The victims were driven away in two separate cars.
  — Joan Murray, CBS News, 12 June 2026
• Is he charged in a separate document that is sealed because of his age?
  — David J. Lopez, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
• These are not two separate Nike stories.
  — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
• Divide the dough in half and place each portion in a separate medium bowl.
  — Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Oct. 2025
• Some people may want to devote even more time, or see the areas on separate days.
  — Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 8 Oct. 2025

separate

3 of 3 noun

• That could mean a sleek suit, trendy separates, or a classic formal dress.
  — Mekita Rivas, Teen Vogue, 30 Apr. 2018
• Imagine having the guts to wear separates to your prom!
  — James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 17 June 2026
• Choose from solid and printed one-pieces and separates.
  — ABC News, 6 June 2026
• Choose from bikini separates and one piece designs.
  — ABC News, 1 June 2026
• This isn’t the first time in fashion that wild hair has matched equally eclectic separates.
  — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 13 Jan. 2019
• Wear with the matching wide-leg trousers for a full suit or mix and match with other separates in your closet.
  — Kristina Rutkowski, wsj.com, 13 Sep. 2023
• Pack a few separates, too, like this red lace off-the-shoulder crop top and pair it with some button-front cut-offs.
  — Kami Phillips, PEOPLE.com, 16 May 2018
• In fact, the dresses give her more agility and freedom of movement than the separates do.
  — Tim Gunn, Marie Claire, 18 Mar. 2013
• These billowy, cloud-like separates take on a boho-glam spin with gold bangles, chunky hoops, and a calf-hair bag.
  — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 12 Apr. 2026
• The mix-and-match-able separates—which are still an emerging trend elsewhere in the market—are what brides will be drawn to.
  — Emily Farra, Vogue, 10 Apr. 2019
• Débora Rosa nails the idea, mixing her snake skirt with black separates.
  — Kerry Pieri, Harper's BAZAAR, 11 Jan. 2019
• The brand features darling dresses and separates that will add a colorful pick-me-up to your wardrobe.
  — Jacorey Moon, Good Housekeeping, 20 Mar. 2023
• Swap in tailored separates for a dress Cocktail attire doesn’t have to mean a cocktail dress.
  — Leah Melby Clinton, wsj.com, 20 Dec. 2023
• Of course, the set looks oh-so chic worn together, but the skirt and tank are both strong separates, which makes for double the styling options.
  — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 5 June 2026
• Some of these are sold as sets, while others come as separates (which might be better if your top and bottom sizes are different).
  — Sarah Madaus, Town & Country, 24 July 2023
• Customers will find a collection full of easy, breezy separates inspired by Rose’s life on-the-go.
  — refinery29.com, 7 June 2018
• Rather than creating whole looks, the collection is a series of separates that can be mixed and matched to anyone's taste.
  — Pete Forester, Esquire, 31 Aug. 2016
• There are other bonuses, but that’s really the main separate between the tiers at the moment.
  — Paul Tassi, Forbes, 13 June 2022
• Moore paired her bob with leather separates, which consisted of a tight-fitting jacket and skinny pants with slits up the ankles.
  — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 4 Mar. 2026
• Seen on coats, suits, and layered separates, the patterns gave winter looks texture in a more subtle fashion.
  — Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 10 Feb. 2026
• Oversized separates will keep your look chic and intentional.
  — Amber Rambharose, InStyle, 11 Mar. 2026
• Sorting through separates is a thing of the past with this nifty dual-sided hamper from Joseph Joseph.
  — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 20 Apr. 2026
• The separates are perfect for mixing and matching and can be dressed up or down making the collection perfect for work and play.
  — Kami Phillips, PEOPLE.com, 15 Mar. 2018
• Under extreme heat, the concrete separates from the steel inside, and the metal weakens.
  — Kevin Davenport, idahostatesman, 22 June 2018
• Pioneer Road is a four-lane, east-west road the separates Cedarburg from Mequon to the south.
  — Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 27 Nov. 2019
• Vibrant separates—like a chartreuse skirt and bright blue top—are grounded by a classic trench and loafers for a dynamic, wearable look.
  — Christina Holevas, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2026
• Her knit separates were emblazoned with a groovy geometric pattern.
  — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 28 Jan. 2026
• The campaign adopted the theme of pleasure and play, as the stars are seen modeling denim and tailored separates in racy poses.
  — Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 19 Aug. 2023
• The task left them exasperated, but compromising their style for the ease of mix-and-match black separates was not an option.
  — Washington Post, 17 Aug. 2019
• Hepburn knew how to style separates, imbuing even the most basic pieces with a sense of effortless elegance.
  — Amber Rambharose, InStyle, 18 Jan. 2026