apart

apart — adverb

1. with a measurable gap between two people or things — for example, three metres b

1.adverbB1
Definition

with a measurable gap between two people or things — for example, three metres between chairs, or two years between birthdays.

Example

Amara planted the tomato seedlings about thirty centimetres apart in the garden bed.

[measure] + apart for spacing distance

The twin brothers were born only fourteen minutes apart on a snowy night in March.

[time] + apart for time gap

Common collocations
  • miles apart
  • years apart
  • feet apart
  • minutes apart
  • far apart
Synonyms
  • away

    more general; needs a starting point (away from)

  • separate

    adjective form; describes the state, not the gap

Antonyms
  • together

    describes things in the same place or moment

Grammar Patterns

[number/measure] + apart

[time] + apart

Usage Note

Almost always follows a measurement or time expression (five feet apart, two hours apart). Cannot stand alone before the noun like an adjective.

Common Mistakes

The houses are apart five metres.
The houses are five metres apart.
the measurement comes BEFORE 'apart', not after.

2. so that one whole object ends up as several separate pieces, either by force or

2.adverbB2
Definition

so that one whole object ends up as several separate pieces, either by force or by gradual damage.

Example

Hadiya took the old radio apart on the kitchen table to see how it worked.

take + apart for dismantling

The wooden chair finally fell apart after thirty years of family dinners.

fall + apart for breaking by itself

Common collocations
  • take apart
  • pull apart
  • fall apart
  • rip apart
  • come apart
Synonyms
  • to pieces

    stronger; suggests total destruction

  • asunder

    literary or archaic; rare in modern speech

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

take/pull/fall/break + apart

Usage Note

Pairs with verbs of breaking, tearing, or dismantling (take, pull, rip, fall, break). Distinguish from sense 1: here there is no measurement; the focus is the splitting itself.

Common Mistakes

I broke apart the cookie into halves.
I broke the cookie apart into halves.
'apart' goes AFTER the object, not between verb and object.

3. if you set one fact or thing aside and do not count it, the rest of what you say

3.adverbB1
Definition

if you set one fact or thing aside and do not count it, the rest of what you say is true; said when one item is being left out of the discussion.

Example

Cost apart, the new electric bicycle is perfect for Kalani's morning commute.

[noun] + apart for setting aside one factor

Joking apart, Dr. Tariq, when can the children safely return to school?

fixed phrase 'joking apart' to switch to a serious tone

Common collocations
  • joking apart
  • that apart
  • cost apart
Synonyms
  • aside

    interchangeable in 'joking aside / joking apart'

  • excepted

    more formal; written register

Grammar Patterns

[noun phrase] + apart

apart from + [noun phrase]

Usage Note

Comes AFTER the noun it excludes ('cost apart'), unlike 'apart from' which comes before. Often used to dismiss one negative point so a positive claim still stands.

Common Mistakes

Apart the cost, the bicycle is perfect.
Cost apart, the bicycle is perfect.' OR 'Apart from the cost, the bicycle is perfect.
'apart' follows the noun; only 'apart from' goes before it.
Idioms

be poles apart

idiom

Two people or things are very different from each other.

Mia and her brother are poles apart in their taste in music.

Are the two political parties poles apart on this issue?

be worlds apart

idiom

Two people or things have completely different opinions or lifestyles.

Although they grew up together, their views are worlds apart.

The rich and the poor in this city are worlds apart in their daily lives.

joking apart

idiom

Used to indicate that you are now speaking seriously after making a joke.

Joking apart, we really need to finish this report by Friday.

Joking apart, have you thought about the consequences of your decision?

apart — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four words describe things that are not joined or not in the same place, but they fit different slots. 'Apart' typically follows a measurement and answers 'by how much?' — 'two metres apart', 'ten years apart'. 'Away' answers 'from where?' and almost always pairs with 'from': 'two metres away from the wall'. 'Separate' is an adjective sitting before a noun ('separate rooms'), describing the state rather than the gap. 'Asunder' is literary or biblical ('torn asunder') and sounds odd in everyday speech. So you would say the twins were born ten minutes apart, the bus stop is two blocks away from school, the children sleep in separate beds, and a tree was torn asunder by lightning.

apart ↗away ↗separate ↗asunder

Common collocations

Nouns

  • years apart
  • feet apart
  • minutes apart

Adverbs

  • far apart
  • wide apart
  • miles apart

Phrases

Prepositions

  • apart from

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

Apart entered English in the late 1300s from Old French 'a part', literally 'to one side' or 'aside'. The French phrase came from Latin 'ad partem', meaning 'to the part' — that is, towards a specific section, away from the main group. Over time the two French words fused into the single English adverb we use today, and its meaning broadened from 'to one side' to cover spatial distance, time gaps, breaking into pieces, and setting things aside in argument.