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View synonyms for

isolate

[ verb ahy-suh-leyt; noun adjective ahy-suh-lit, -leyt ]

verb (used with object)

isolated, isolating.
  1. to set or place apart; detach or separate so as to be alone.
  2. Medicine/Medical. to keep (an infected person) from contact with noninfected persons; quarantine.
  3. Chemistry, Bacteriology. to obtain (a substance or microorganism) in an uncombined or pure state.
  4. Electricity. to insulate.
  5. Television. to single out (a person, action, etc.) for a camera closeup.


noun

  1. a person, thing, or group that is set apart or isolated, as for purposes of study.
  2. Psychology. a person, often shy or lacking in social skills, who avoids the company of others and has no friends within a group.
  3. Biology. an inbreeding population that is isolated from similar populations by physiological, behavioral, or geographic barriers.
  4. Also called lan·guage i·so·late [lang, -gwij , ahy, -s, uh, -lit]. Linguistics. a language with no demonstrable genetic relationship, as Basque.
  5. something that has been isolated, as a by-product in a manufacturing process:

    an isolate of soy flour.

adjective

  1. isolated; alone.

isolate

verb

  1. to place apart; cause to be alone
  2. med to quarantine (a person or animal) having or suspected of having a contagious disease
  3. to obtain (a compound) in an uncombined form
  4. to obtain pure cultures of (bacteria, esp those causing a particular disease)
  5. electronics to prevent interaction between (circuits, components, etc); insulate
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. an isolated person or group
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈDZ, adjective
  • ˈˌٴǰ, noun
  • ˌDZˈٲ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • ···ٴǰ noun
  • ···ٱ verb (used with object) reisolated reisolating
  • ܲ···ٱ verb (used with object) unisolated unisolating
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Word History and Origins

Origin of isolate1

First recorded in 1800–10; back formation from isolated
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Word History and Origins

Origin of isolate1

C19: back formation from isolated, via Italian from Latin Բܱٳܲ, literally: made into an island; see insulate
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Essex area coroner Sonia Hayes said she was supposed to be observed when she was in isolated areas.

From

A spokesperson for Counter Terrorism Policing North East, leading the investigation, described what had happened as an "isolated incident", adding that officers were continuing to investigate and the arrested man was the "key suspect".

From

A few showers are expected, perhaps even with isolated thundery downpours in southern areas, as the warm weather breaks down.

From

Switching off computer servers used in their online ordering, payment or logistics systems might imply that security teams have isolated that portion as a way the hackers gained entry.

From

She told the BBC her parents separated when she was a young child; she lost contact with her father and felt increasingly isolated and traumatised as she grew up.

From

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isolatableisolated