2sep·a·rate 
/ˈsɛpəˌreɪt/ verb
sep·a·rates; sep·a·rat·ed; sep·a·rat·ing /ˈsɛpəˌreɪt/ verb 1 [+ obj] : to cause (two or more people or things) to stop being together, joined, or connected : to make (people or things) separate
▪ He separated the fighters (from each other). ▪ They described the process used to separate cream from milk. ▪ (US) He fell and separated [=dislocated] his shoulder. [=caused the bone in his shoulder to move out of its proper position] 2 [+ obj] : to be between (two things or people)
▪ A river separates the two towns. = The two towns are separated by a river. [=there is a river between the two towns] ▪ A great distance separated the sisters from each other. 3 [no obj] : to stop being together, joined, or connected : to become separate
▪ 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. ▪ The oil separated from the water. ▪ The salt crystals separated out of the liquid. 4 [no obj] : to stop living with a husband, wife, or partner
▪ They separated six months after their wedding. ▪ She separated from her boyfriend last week. 5 [+ obj] : to see or describe the differences between (two things)
▪ We need to separate [=distinguish] fact and/from fiction. 6 [+ obj] : to be the quality that makes (people or things) different : differentiate
▪ Their personalities and political beliefs separate them. ▪ Our ability to reason is what separates us from animals. 7 [+ obj] — used to describe how much difference there is in the scores or positions of people or teams in a race, game, etc. ▪ One goal separated the teams at the beginning of the third period. ▪ Polls show that the candidates are separated by only a narrow margin as the election approaches.
▪ He separated the fighters (from each other). ▪ They described the process used to separate cream from milk. ▪ (US) He fell and separated [=dislocated] his shoulder. [=caused the bone in his shoulder to move out of its proper position]
▪ A river separates the two towns. = The two towns are separated by a river. [=there is a river between the two towns] ▪ 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. ▪ The oil separated from the water. ▪ The salt crystals separated out of the liquid.
▪ They separated six months after their wedding. ▪ She separated from her boyfriend last week.
▪ We need to separate [=distinguish] fact and/from fiction.
▪ Their personalities and political beliefs separate them. ▪ Our ability to reason is what separates us from animals.
separate off [phrasal verb]
separate (someone or something) off or separate off (someone or something) : to cause (someone or something) to be separate from other people or things
▪ He separated himself off from the crowd in the subway.
▪ He separated himself off from the crowd in the subway.
separate out [phrasal verb]
separate out (someone or something) or separate (someone or something) out : to remove (someone or something) from a group
▪ Before you put out the trash, you have to separate out the bottles and cans. ▪ Most schools separate out children with learning problems.
▪ Before you put out the trash, you have to separate out the bottles and cans. ▪ Most schools separate out children with learning problems.
separate the men from the boys
: to show which people are really strong, brave, etc., and which are not
▪ The competition has been easy to this point, but now it gets tough and we'll really begin to separate the men from the boys.
▪ The competition has been easy to this point, but now it gets tough and we'll really begin to separate the men from the boys.
separate the sheep from the goats or separate the wheat from the chaff
chiefly Brit : to judge which people or things in a group are bad and which ones are good
▪ The magazine describes many different products and then separates the sheep from the goats.
▪ The magazine describes many different products and then separates the sheep from the goats.
