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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of separating
The event has been criticized as promoting Christian nationalism and obscuring the lines separating church and state.
—
Chandelis Duster, NPR, 17 May 2026
The nation’s tradition of separating church and state, however, was not on display.
—Tiffany Stanley, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
Courtesy of the market differentiator separating the Knicks from the other contenders competing for the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the end of the playoff road.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 16 May 2026
Lowrey Place would get a new multi-use trail with a wide planting strip separating pedestrians from traffic, the plan says.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2026
This compression of the purchase funnel is now the defining characteristic of modern fashion commerce, separating market leaders from those struggling to keep pace.
—Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
Dan Otero climbed the fence separating the bullpen from the outfield.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 15 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
Chandelis Duster, NPR, 17 May 2026
The nation’s tradition of separating church and state, however, was not on display.
—Tiffany Stanley, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
Courtesy of the market differentiator separating the Knicks from the other contenders competing for the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the end of the playoff road.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 16 May 2026
Lowrey Place would get a new multi-use trail with a wide planting strip separating pedestrians from traffic, the plan says.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2026
This compression of the purchase funnel is now the defining characteristic of modern fashion commerce, separating market leaders from those struggling to keep pace.
—Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
Dan Otero climbed the fence separating the bullpen from the outfield.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 15 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for separating
Verb
-
Some look at wide areas of the sky to do surveys, while others pinpoint specific targets; some take images, while others take spectra, dividing the incoming light into different energies (or colors, wavelengths or frequencies, all of which are different terms for essentially the same thing).—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
-
This time, the administration is dividing more families by greater distances than before, by expelling parents without their children, en masse.—
Caitlin Dickerson,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Obviously, when a team's division, some changes need to be made, and one of the first of those changes was parting ways with Berube.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
13 May 2026
-
Pelinka is expected to add at least one assistant general manager while building out a pro scouting department that the Lakers haven’t had since parting ways with pro personnel man Ryan West in 2019.—
Dan Woike,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
There's an emerging market for concierge and longevity clinics, where physicians are offering unregulated peptides by classifying them as supplements rather than as drugs to enhance specific functions rather than treat disease.—
Teresa Maalouf,
Verywell Health,
12 May 2026
-
But as other reality-TV subgenres similarly flourished over the two-plus decades since, the Emmys responded by micro-classifying the shows and pushing most of them to the Creative Arts ceremony.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
That is a differentiating point.—
K.H. Koehler,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
-
Their ontology layer may be the most differentiating feature of this solution.—
Steve Banker,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
The membrane will also find applications beyond fuel cells, where it could be used for splitting water, reducing carbon dioxide, and synthesizing ammonia.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
18 May 2026
-
Rehearsals took four months, with Kubicek splitting his days between the three participating schools.—
Jeff Miller,
Rolling Stone,
18 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
-
The group blamed both the army and RSF and said some drones use visual monitoring technology capable of distinguishing targets, raising concerns that the attacks may not have been indiscriminate.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 May 2026
-
Even Realities has launched its Even G2 smart glasses, distinguishing themselves from competitors like Meta by being deliberately camera- and speaker-free.—
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Separating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/separating. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
