separating

Syllables: sep·a·rat·ing/ˈsɛpəɹeɪtɪŋ/

separating is the present participle and gerund of separate.

Meaning of separate

separate (third-person singular simple present separates, present participle separating, simple past and past participle separated)

(transitive) To divide (a thing) into separate parts.
- Separate the articles from the headings.
Synonyms:

partition, split, becut, decide, discerp, disintegrate, dispart, dissever, divide, divorce
(transitive) To disunite from a group or mass; to disconnect.
- Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Romans 8:35
Synonyms:

differentiate, disaggregate, disassemble, discriminate, disjoin, disunify, disunite, divide, peel off, pick off
(transitive) To cause (things or people) to be separate.
- If the kids get too noisy, separate them for a few minutes.
Synonyms:

split up, tear apart
(intransitive) To divide itself into separate pieces or substances.
- The sauce will separate if you don't keep stirring.
Synonyms:

break down, come apart, disintegrate, fall apart
(obsolete) To set apart; to select from among others, as for a special use or service.
- Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 13:2
Synonyms:

earmark, sepose, allocate, appropriate, shelve, assign, dedicate, detach, designate, preselect

separating (plural separatings)

separating (not comparable)

(zipper) Capable of being opened and having its two sided completely detached from one another rather than just being opened for most of its length.

plural	separatings

What does separating mean?: Separating means an instance of separating.
What is separating the present participle and gerund of?: Separating is the present participle and gerund of separate.
What part of speech is separating?: Separating can be a noun or an adjective.
How do you pronounce separating?: Separating is pronounced /ˈsɛpəɹeɪtɪŋ/.
What is the plural of separating?: The plural of separating is separatings.

Adapted from Wiktionary: separating (page history and authors); separate (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this entry: “separating.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/separating. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.