isolate
/ˈaɪsəˌleɪt/
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Type
Verb
Meaning
To separate someone or something physically or socially from other people or things.
The blizzard isolated several small towns in the mountains for almost a week.
Why did you isolate yourself from your friends after changing jobs?
To single out or examine one factor, issue, or detail separately from the rest.
Researchers are trying to isolate the specific variables that influence consumer spending.
It is difficult to isolate one cause in such a complicated situation.
To identify and extract a specific substance, organism, or gene for scientific study.
Scientists managed to isolate the gene responsible for the hereditary condition.
Have lab technicians isolated the compound from the plant extract yet?
How it's used
When this means “separate from others”
- isolate the patient from visitors
“isolate him from visitors.”
Nurses had to isolate the patient from visitors until test results arrived.
When this means “single out a factor”
- isolate the main cause
“isolate it.”
The team tried to isolate the main cause of the sudden system crash.
Collocations
- isolate a patient
- isolate yourself
- isolate the cause
- isolate a variable
- isolate a problem
- isolate a gene
- isolate a compound
Synonyms
- separate
- quarantine
- segregate
- single out
- pinpoint
- extract
Antonyms
- integrate
- connect