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Definition apart in British English

apart adjective, adverb

adjective, adverb
/əˈpɑː(r)t/

Apart can be used in the following ways:

as an adverb: We had to take the engine apart.

after the verb ‘to be’: I’m never happy when we’re apart.

as an adjective (only after a noun): Madagascar is a world apart.

in the preposition phrase apart from: Everyone was there apart from Ann and Gayle.

1

if two people or things are apart, there is a space between them

Example

Stand with your feet apart.

Synonyms and related words
about across after
1.1

used for saying how far away from each other people or things are

Example

Their two farms are about a mile apart.

Example

Plant the seeds 25 cm apart.

Synonyms and related words
distant far apart
1.2

used for saying that one person or group is some distance away from the others

Example

The man was alone, sitting apart, watching people come and go.

Example

I saw Theresa at the graveside, standing apart from the rest of the family.

Synonyms and related words
long little away
2

used for saying how much time there is between events

Example

The two brothers were born six years apart.

Example

Two surveys carried out 30 years apart show little change in attitudes to childcare.

Synonyms and related words
then all last
3

broken or divided into many different parts or pieces

Example

The explosion tore the plane apart.

Example

If the problem is in the printer, we'll have to take the whole thing apart.

Example

The book came apart in my hands.

Synonyms and related words
broken battered faulty
4

without considering or including someone or something in a judgment

Example

Bribery apart, there is almost no method of persuasion that is not allowed.

Synonyms and related words
only except excluding
5

if you pull two things or people apart, you separate them

Example

We managed to drag the two men apart before they could harm each other.

5.1

if two people are apart, they are not in the same place together

Example

Aitken and his wife have been living apart.

Example

We hate being apart, but Gary emails me every day.

Synonyms and related words
about across after
6

if two people, opinions, or ways of living are far apart, they are very different

Example

Galbraith's views and my own are not far apart on the issue of free trade.

Example

When the talks ended, the two sides seemed as far apart as ever.

Example

Politically, Gorbachev and Thatcher were poles apart, but they became friends.

Synonyms and related words
conflicting different various
6.1

different from all the other people or things

Example

The Swiss economy is a case apart, unlike any other.

Example

His style sets him apart from other writers.

Synonyms and related words
conflicting different various
7

used for saying that an organization, country, or relationship is in a very bad state and is failing to stay together

Example

Costello lost his job, and soon afterwards his marriage fell apart.

Example

The Health Service is coming apart, and only a large investment of cash can save it.

Example

Yugoslavia was being torn apart by ethnic conflicts.

Definition apart in British English