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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Apart: Definition, Common Uses & Examples (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：at a distance (apart)

apart 🔊

/əˈpɑːrt/

adv.

separated by a distance, not together

at a distance 🔊

➕

/æt ə ˈdɪstəns/

adv.

Describes a state of being separated in space, time, or relationship; not together or not connected.

📁 Category：Buildings & Places 🔖 Level：Elementary

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old French 'a part' meaning 'to the side'. The prefix 'a-' (to, toward) + the root 'part' (divide, separate).

💡 Mnemonic

Remember: A PART of something that is set aside. Think of 'a' + 'part' literally meaning 'into a separate part'.

📖 Example

My apartment is close to the subway station, but it's quite apart from where I work. 🔊 My apartment is close to the subway station, but it is located a significant distance away from my workplace.

🔗 Collocations

fall apart – to break into pieces, or to end in failure

live apart – to reside in separate places, often used for couples

take apart – to disassemble something into its components

🔄 Synonyms

separately (adv.) – Not together; as distinct units or individuals.

individually (adv.) – Singly; one by one; separately.

🚫 Antonyms

together (adv.) – In or into one gathering, company, mass, or body; in proximity.

connected (adj.) – Joined or linked together.

🌱 Derivatives

apartment (n.) – A room or suite of rooms used as a residential unit, separate from others in a building.

apartheid (n.) – A historical policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race.

📖 Cultural Story

The word 'apart' entered Middle English from Old French in the 14th century. Its core meaning of separation has remained remarkably stable. It is frequently used in expressions describing social division ('a world apart') and emotional distance ('grow apart').

Meaning 2：into pieces (apart)

apart 🔊

/əˈpɑːrt/

adv.

into separate pieces, broken

Apart definition visual: disassembled chair parts showing something taken apart.

into pieces 🔊

➕

/ˈɪntə ˈpiːsɪz/

adv.

Describes the action or result of something breaking or being separated into fragments or distinct parts.

📁 Category：Objects & Materials 🔖 Level：Elementary

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

The old wooden chair fell apart when I tried to sit on it. 🔊 The old wooden chair broke into separate pieces when I attempted to sit on it.

🔗 Collocations

fall apart – to disintegrate or break into pieces

come apart – to separate into pieces; to fail or disintegrate

🔄 Synonyms

to pieces (phrase) – Into fragments or parts.

asunder (adv.) – Into separate parts or pieces; apart. (Formal/literary)

🚫 Antonyms

together (adv.) – In or into one mass, collection, or group; assembled.

intact (adj.) – Not damaged or impaired in any way; complete.

🌱 Derivatives

apartment (n.) – A separate living space within a larger building.

apartheid (n.) – A system enforcing separation of groups.