apart

[ uh-pahrt ]

adverb

1. into pieces or parts; to pieces:

   to take a watch apart; an old barn falling apart from decay.

2. separately in place, time, motion, etc.:

   New York and Tokyo are thousands of miles apart. Our birthdays are three days apart.

3. to or at one side, with respect to place, purpose, or function:

   to put money apart for education; to keep apart from the group out of pride.

4. separately or individually in consideration:

   each factor viewed apart from the others.

5. aside (used with a gerund or noun):

   Joking apart, what do you think?

adjective

1. having independent or unique qualities, features, or characteristics; separate (usually used following the noun it modifies):

   a class apart.

verb phrase

1. 1. to disassemble:

      to take a clock apart.

   2. Informal. to criticize; attack:

      She was taken apart for her controversial stand.

   3. to subject to intense examination:

      He will take your feeble excuses apart.

apart

/ əˈpɑːt /

adjective

1. to pieces or in pieces

   he had the television apart on the floor

2. placed or kept separately or to one side for a particular purpose, reason, etc; aside (esp in the phrases set or put apart )
3. separate in time, place, or position; at a distance

   two points three feet apart

   he stood apart from the group

4. not being taken into account; aside

   these difficulties apart, the project ran smoothly

5. individual; distinct; separate

   a race apart

6. separately or independently in use, thought, or function

   considered apart, his reasoning was faulty

7. apart from
   preposition besides; other than

Other Words From

• a·part·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of apart¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French a part “to one side”; a- ⁵, part

Word History and Origins

Origin of apart¹

C14: from Old French a part at (the) side

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. apart from, aside from; in addition to:

   Apart from other considerations, time is a factor.

More idioms and phrases containing apart

In addition to the idiom beginning with apart , also see come apart ; fall apart ; pick apart ; poles apart ; set apart ; take apart ; tear apart ; tell apart .

Example Sentences

The man, Joshua Kemp, told what police describe as “a bogus story that quickly fell apart.”

From The Daily Beast

Apart from the video, the Saraya Al-Khorasani group has made no official declaration that it is linked to Taghavi.

From The Daily Beast

Days away from her dream being fulfilled, it all fell apart.

From The Daily Beast

The carpeting is worn, the furniture is falling apart, and the electricity is out for most of the day.

From The Daily Beast

What sets him apart from so many of his contemporaries was his rare immunity from the influence of prevailing ideas.

From The Daily Beast

Moreover, most of the burrows were only a few feet apart and no agonistic behavior was witnessed.

From Project Gutenberg

Not a few of these are extremely beautiful, and are well worth growing on this account, quite apart from their peculiarity.

From Project Gutenberg

He went himself to the kitchen, which was a building apart from the cottages and lying to the rear of the house.

From Project Gutenberg

All Koreans pay great honour to their dead parents, and tablets to their memory are placed in some room set apart for the purpose.

From Project Gutenberg

It has a training value entirely apart‌ from its practical value in that case.

From Project Gutenberg