verb
isolate
EYE-suh-layt
verb
1
To separate someone or something from others.
"The hospital isolated the patient to stop the infection spreading."
"She felt isolated after moving to a new city where she knew no one."
2
To separate a single substance or organism from a mixture, in science.
"Researchers managed to isolate the gene responsible for the disorder."
How to Use Isolate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo set something or someone apart, cutting off contact with everything else.
Common pairings
isolate a patient
isolate a virus
feel isolated
Word Forms
isolated past tense, isolates plural, isolates singular
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The hospital _____ the patient to stop the infection spreading.
Etymology
Formed from "isolated," which came through French isolé and Italian isolato, ultimately from Latin insula, "island" — the same root as "insulate."