Join
Join verb - To come together to form a single unit.
Usage example: one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms join to make one water molecule
Separate
Separate verb - To set or force apart.
Usage example: we tried to separate the gluey pages, but they were stuck tight
Join is an antonym for separate in topics: distinguish, sever, come apart, isolate, keep or set apart.
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
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Parents are also forced to separate from their children when they are made to join the Sea Org and sign the billion year contracts.
Source: Literature / Going Clear -
Liu Bei would later have to make three separate visits in order to convince the tactical sage Zhuge Liang to join them.
Source: Rule of Three - If you try to have a fourth join, the other character will say that it would be best if the fourth character stays separate.
Source: Arbitrary Headcount Limit
Cite this Source
Separate and Join. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/join/separate
Join & Separate. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/join/separate>.
Separate or Join. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/join/separate.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "join" and "separate" have occurred on timeline