isolate

American  

[ahy-suh-leyt, ahy-suh-lit, -leyt] / ˈaɪ səˌleɪt, ˈaɪ sə lɪt, -ˌleɪt /

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.

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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 language isolate.  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 British  

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

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noun

1. an isolated person or group

Other Word Forms

• isolability
  noun
• isolable
  adjective
• isolator
  noun
• reisolate
  verb (used with object)
• unisolate
  verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of isolate

First recorded in 1800–10; back formation from isolated

Explanation

When you remove or set apart one thing from others, you isolate it. You could isolate yourself from people by living in a remote hut or, if you're a biologist, you could isolate a chromosome. The verb isolate comes from the adjective isolated, which comes from the Latin insulatas, meaning “made into an island.” You may have heard the John Donne quote, “No man is an island.” Donne was claiming that no matter how much you might try to isolate yourself from the rest of humanity, in the end people are all connected to one another. Humanity’s need for connectedness may, in fact, be illustrated by the fact that jailers frequently isolate criminals as punishment.

Example Sentences

The WHO has urged Congo and Uganda to isolate confirmed cases and the people they came in contact with.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026

Many cruise lines require travelers to isolate in their cabins if they have an infectious disease—sometimes even after they recover, if the cruise is still going.

From Slate • May 16, 2026

It can also be difficult to isolate sick people aboard a cruise ship.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

Greece's health ministry said a Greek male evacuee would spend 45 days in mandatory hospital quarantine in Athens, while 14 Spanish citizens will also isolate at a military hospital in Madrid.

From Barron's • May 11, 2026

She uploaded an image of Scythe Faraday to see if she could isolate videos in which he appeared, but as she suspected, nothing came back.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Related Words

• confine
• detach
• disconnect
• disengage
• divide
• insulate
• remove
• segregate
• separate
• sequester