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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of separating
The Inland Rail Trail is a 21-mile bike path that is 8 to 10 feet wide with a 2-foot-wide unpaved shoulder and barriers separating the trail from motor vehicles.
—
Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
There were just two points separating the teams after Blake Grupe’s field goal in the fourth quarter, before two crucial plays from Josh Allen – first a 27-yard scramble through the Saints defense, then a 28-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid – extended the Bills’ lead.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
Divide plants every three to four years, separating the plant into clumps with three to five vigorous shoots each.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 Sep. 2025
Cyrus — who married Hemsworth, 35, the following month after the destruction, before later separating in August 2019 — was left to grieve the many memories that were lost.
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
In an interview with Interesting Engineering (IE), Sarah Saltzer, PhD, managing director of the Stanford Center for Carbon Storage (SCCS), explained that the process involves separating CO2 from an emissions stream.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025
That may mean putting a pause on your relationship and physically separating yourself until this is resolved through counseling or conversation.
—R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are separating, Variety confirms.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025
As much as Jones has tried to downplay it, the relationship between him and Parsons was a notable factor in the sides’ separating.
—Jon MacHota, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
There were just two points separating the teams after Blake Grupe’s field goal in the fourth quarter, before two crucial plays from Josh Allen – first a 27-yard scramble through the Saints defense, then a 28-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid – extended the Bills’ lead.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
Divide plants every three to four years, separating the plant into clumps with three to five vigorous shoots each.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 Sep. 2025
Cyrus — who married Hemsworth, 35, the following month after the destruction, before later separating in August 2019 — was left to grieve the many memories that were lost.
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
In an interview with Interesting Engineering (IE), Sarah Saltzer, PhD, managing director of the Stanford Center for Carbon Storage (SCCS), explained that the process involves separating CO2 from an emissions stream.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025
That may mean putting a pause on your relationship and physically separating yourself until this is resolved through counseling or conversation.
—R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are separating, Variety confirms.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025
As much as Jones has tried to downplay it, the relationship between him and Parsons was a notable factor in the sides’ separating.
—Jon MacHota, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for separating
Verb
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Experts say the median offers a more accurate view of what's happening in a market than the average list price, which would mean taking the sum of all listing prices then dividing by the number of homes sold.—
USA TODAY Network,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Sep. 2025
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This amount is expressed by dividing the share price by the company’s earnings per share to get the price-to-earnings ratio.—
Ryan Ermey,
CNBC,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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His teammates gave him parting gifts – two-run home runs from Hyeseong Kim and Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani’s 55th homer of the season – and sent Kershaw out a winner for the 223rd time as the Dodgers finished their regular-season schedule with a 6-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
28 Sep. 2025
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According to police, scammers are targeting older Bay Staters with a range of schemes aimed at parting them with their savings, from old-fashioned home improvement fraud to newer scams centered around cryptocurrency.—
Matthew Medsger,
Boston Herald,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Forecasters give Sherrill an advantage, with both the Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball classifying the race as Leans Democrat.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
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Without establishing any link to last week’s shooting, the Republican president and members of his administration have discussed classifying some groups as domestic terrorists, ordering racketeering investigations and revoking tax-exempt status for progressive nonprofits.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Whether isolating public officials for harassment, doxing, intimidation, and ultimately attempted assassination, it is all carefully planned, executed and thought through.—
Ivan Pereira,
ABC News,
25 Sep. 2025
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The journey into the unknown can be both exciting and isolating.—
James Patterson,
Big Think,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In addition to the cohosts getting into memorable spats over Harris' bid for the presidency, during a pre-2024 election interview on the show in October of last year, Harris responded to one of Hostin's questions that inquired about differentiating herself from President Biden's policies.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Sep. 2025
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Beyond differentiating between the sounds, the team also confirmed consistent seasonal patterns in the grouper’s spawning activity that are closely linked to lunar cycles.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Chase Infiniti’s breakout performance has generated significant word-of-mouth but positioning her in lead leaves more room for co-stars Teyana Taylor and Regina Hall in supporting roles, and less of a chance of a classic vote-splitting dilemma that has derailed campaigns in the past.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
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The two dated for only a few months before splitting sometime in 2024.—
Amy McCarthy,
PEOPLE,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Apollo Global Management chief economist Torsten Slok has also noted the recent graduate unemployment rate is diverging for men and women.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
24 Sep. 2025
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Some state public health officials have decided to make their own vaccine recommendations, diverging from the CDC for the first time in its 80-year history.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In the current threat environment, the offenders are often not distinguishing.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
28 Sep. 2025
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This is not distinguishing Russia.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Separating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/separating. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
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