apart

7 definitions • 16 examples

separated by a distance or by time:

Stand with your feet wide apart.

How far apart should the speakers be?

We were asked to stand in two lines three metres apart.

The two lines of children moved slowly apart.

The garage, large enough for two cars, is set apart from (= not joined to) the house.

I forget the exact age difference between Mark and his brother - they're two or three years apart.

into smaller pieces:

My jacket is so old it's falling apart.

I took the motor apart (= separated it into pieces) to see how it worked.

except for or not considering:

He works until nine o'clock every evening, and that's quite apart from the work he does over the weekend.

living or staying in a different place from the person that you are married to or have a close relationship with:

When you're apart you rely so heavily on the phone.

separated by a distance:

Stand with your feet wide apart and bend from the waist.

How far apart should I put my stereo speakers?

We both travel a lot, but when we’re apart we keep in touch by phone.

fig. The strike continued, and both sides remained very far apart.

(esp. of a machine) Apart can also mean separated into its parts:

He had to take the hot-water pump apart to repair it.

Apart can also mean separated in time:

Our two kids were born just eighteen months apart.