1
as in dividing
to set or force apart
we tried to separate the gluey pages, but they were stuck tight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in parting
to go or move in different directions from a central point
the searchers separated in order to cover more ground
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in classifying
to arrange or assign according to type
separate the students by reading ability
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in isolating
to set or keep apart from others
separated the injured calf from the herd
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in differentiating
to understand or point out the difference in
trying to separate science from religion on one specific point
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of separating
Next, Butac arranges a bunch of the beans on two trays and roasts them for a specific amount of time before separating the shells from the beans and then running the bean fragments, also known as nibs, through a mill.
—
Ari Daniel, NPR, 10 May 2026
Still, robotics has a long history of inflated expectations, making many executives cautious about separating breakthrough potential from hype.
—Dr. Jonathan Reichental, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
In such a system, the moon would not need extreme early heating to start separating metal from rock.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 10 May 2026
There’s not too much in terms of policy differences separating the three most prominent candidates in the race for the district, which covers the Upper West Side and Upper East Side and includes the largest Jewish population of any congressional district in the nation.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
However, the Mountaineers sit at second place with a 17-8 record, and a strong final series could push the Horned Frogs up the standings with only three games separating the programs as the Big 12 tournament approaches.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 May 2026
Rabbit Holed is Kieran Press-Reynolds’ weekly column exploring songs and scenes at the intersection of music and digital culture, separating shitpost genius from shitpassé lameness.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 8 May 2026
The two were married for 10 years before separating in 2021 and finalizing their divorce in 2022.
—Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
Francesco and twins Emilio and Brando — before separating in 2004.
—Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 7 May 2026
Ari Daniel, NPR, 10 May 2026
Still, robotics has a long history of inflated expectations, making many executives cautious about separating breakthrough potential from hype.
—Dr. Jonathan Reichental, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
In such a system, the moon would not need extreme early heating to start separating metal from rock.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 10 May 2026
There’s not too much in terms of policy differences separating the three most prominent candidates in the race for the district, which covers the Upper West Side and Upper East Side and includes the largest Jewish population of any congressional district in the nation.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026
However, the Mountaineers sit at second place with a 17-8 record, and a strong final series could push the Horned Frogs up the standings with only three games separating the programs as the Big 12 tournament approaches.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 May 2026
Rabbit Holed is Kieran Press-Reynolds’ weekly column exploring songs and scenes at the intersection of music and digital culture, separating shitpost genius from shitpassé lameness.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 8 May 2026
The two were married for 10 years before separating in 2021 and finalizing their divorce in 2022.
—Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
Francesco and twins Emilio and Brando — before separating in 2004.
—Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for separating
Verb
-
Calculated by dividing the number of at-bats by home runs.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
Colbert grilled the former president on the topic dividing the city, baseball.—
Elyssa Kaufman,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
Verb
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So, consider their timeless appeal and potential worth before parting ways with your music collection.—
Alexandra Kelly,
Martha Stewart,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The first part is the dark clouds parting and the sun shining through and the patient, the people have a new world of opportunity and promise and health, and then comes the second half of the drug.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Rising costs already limit access to higher education for many, and recent federal policies incorrectly classifying nursing as a nonprofessional degree will only further restrict access to financing for nursing school applicants.—
Nicholas A. Giordano,
STAT,
8 May 2026
-
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is the organization responsible for classifying celestial bodies.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In past outbreaks of the Andes virus, taking steps such as isolating people who are sick — and asking those who aren’t sick but have been exposed to stay away from others — have brought outbreaks to an end.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
-
Plenty of teams have found joy by isolating Chelsea’s defenders with a long ball over the top and City are not above doing so.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
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While the uses and gratifications model is basically an individual (or user)-centered model, MSD theory, first developed by Sandra Ball-Rokeach and Melvin DeFleur in 1976, goes further in differentiating the microlevels of interaction in relation to audiences and social groups.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 May 2026
-
The biggest differentiating factor was the use of an agent harness, a piece of code that wraps around an LLM to guide it through a series of specific tasks.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
7 May 2026
Verb
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The commissioners differed on how this should work, splitting into three broad camps with some overlap and intersection particular issues.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 May 2026
-
The tree branches are also weakly attached to the trunks and prone to splitting apart during storms and harsh weather events, Zieche said.—
Jerry Wu,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
In markets, Asian stocks are diverging while European futures are pointing firmly lower.—
Katie Foley,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
-
The Strait of Hormuz closure and resulting gas price shocks became additional talking points for both sides, though from diverging perspectives.—
Chaewon Chung
April 29,
Sacbee.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The challenge is distinguishing imbalances rooted in fundamentals from those created by policy distortions.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
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Barrière’s distinguishing factor is its marketing, according to Davis-Urman, who has a background in fashion.—
Laya Neelakandan,
CNBC,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Separating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/separating. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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