- 1separate (from something/somebody) forming a unit by itself; not joined to something else separate bedrooms Raw meat must be kept separate from cooked meat. The school is housed in two separate buildings. Write a list of names on a separate piece of paper.
- 2[usually before noun] different; not connected It happened on three separate occasions. For the past three years they have been leading totally separate lives.
Japan's long-standing sense of separateness and uniqueness separate adjectiveseparately adverbseparable adjective (≠inseparable)separate verbseparated adjectiveseparation nounseparate adjectiveseparately adverbseparable adjective (≠inseparable)separate verbseparated adjectiveseparation nounIdioms
- 1to end a relationship with someone When the business was sold they went their separate ways.
- 2to go in a different direction from someone you have been traveling with
in a separate envelope The information you requested is being forwarded to you under separate cover.See separate in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Check pronunciation: separate