separate off
Third Person
separates off
Present Participle
separating off
Past Tense
separated off
Past Participle
separated off
1
to remove a specific item from a larger group
- He separated off the unique collectibles from the rest of the items for a separate auction.
- The chef had to separate off a portion of the dough for a special dessert.
- They separated the damaged merchandise off from the rest to assess the losses.
- The technician needed to separate off a small sample of the chemical for testing.
- She separated off the ripe strawberries from the batch to make jam.
2
to create a division using a physical barrier
- They decided to separate the office space off from the rest of the room using dividers.
- The classroom was separated off from the gymnasium during the school assembly.
- They separated off a private dining area in the restaurant for special events.
- They separated off a cozy reading nook in the library with screens.
- The tradeshow organizers separated off the demonstration area from the vendor booths.
Synonyms:
3
to take someone or a group and isolate them from the rest
- The teacher decided to separate the noisy students off from the rest of the class to maintain order.
- The lifeguard had to separate the swimmers off from the dangerous area of the beach.
- The supervisor separated the troublemakers off from the team during the meeting.
- The security personnel had to separate the unruly crowd off from the VIP section at the event.
- The principal needed to separate the bullies off from their victims to address the situation.