1. the action or state of moving or being moved apart
2. the state of living apart from one’s spouse without being divorced
Usage: legal
3. the process of distinguishing between different things or extracting one thing from a mixture
Usage: technical

Examples

• The separation of church and state is a fundamental principle.
• After years of conflict, they decided on a trial separation.
• The wall created a clear separation between the two rooms.
• The separation of oil and water occurs naturally.
• Their separation was difficult for the children to understand.
• The laboratory uses centrifugation for the separation of blood components.
• A brief separation made them realize how much they missed each other.