apart

adverb, adjective

1 DISTANCE if things are apart, they have an amount of space between them: Joel stood apart from the group, frowning. | two miles/six feet etc apart: The two villages are 6 kilometres apart.

2 TIME two hours/six weeks etc apart if things are a particular time apart, they have that much time between them: Our birthdays are exactly a month apart.

3 SEPARATE

a) if you keep, pull, force etc two things apart, you separate them: I try to keep my work and private life as far apart as possible. | The two boys started fighting so we had to pull them apart.

b) if you take or pull something apart, or something comes or falls apart, it is separated into many different parts: The mechanics took the engine apart. | The chair fell apart in my hands.

4 SOMEWHERE ELSE in a different place from someone else: You never see the twins apart. | My wife and I are living apart at the moment.

5 RELATIONSHIP

a) be worlds/poles apart if people, beliefs, or ideas are worlds or poles apart, they are completely different from each other

b) grow/drift apart if people or groups grow apart, their relationship slowly ends: Sadly, the family has grown apart since Auntie Barbara died.

6 CONDITION if something is coming apart or falling apart etc, it is in a very bad condition: I must get some new trousers; these are all coming apart. | Well, the relationship's fallen apart, to be honest.

7 joking apart used to say that you want to consider something seriously: Joking apart, we must do something about that hole.

8 quite apart from without even considering: Quite apart from the cost, there's the question of your health to be considered.

9 apart from also aside from especially AmE

a) used to introduce one small point which makes a statement not completely true: This essay's good apart from a couple of spelling mistakes.

b) except for: Apart from the occasional visit, what does Alan do for his kids?