segregate

UK: /ˈsɛgrɪgeɪt/

US: /ˈsɛgrɪˌgeɪt/

US: (v. seg′ri gāt′; n. seg′ri git, -gāt′)

Inflections of 'segregate' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

segregates

v 3rd person singular

segregating

v pres p

segregated

v past

segregated

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

seg•re•gate /ˈsɛgrɪˌgeɪt/   v., -gat•ed, -gat•ing. 

1. to separate or set apart from others: [~ + object + from + object]
   The hospital segregates patients who are contagious from the others.
   [~ + object + and + object]
   segregating boys and girls at adolescence.
2. Sociology to require or impose, often with force, the separation of (a certain group) from the body of society: [~ + object + from + object]
   segregating one ethnic group from another.
   [~ + object + and + object]
   It is illegal to segregate blacks and whites.
   [no object]
   a society that segregates on the basis of religion.

See -greg-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

seg•re•gate  (v. seg′ri gāt′;n. seg′ri git, -gāt′), v., -gat•ed, -gat•ing, n. 
v.t. 

1. to separate or set apart from others or from the main body or group;
   isolate:
   to segregate exceptional children; to segregate hardened criminals.
2. Sociology to require, often with force, the separation of (a specific racial, religious, or other group) from the general body of society.

v.i. 

3. to separate, withdraw, or go apart;
   separate from the main body and collect in one place;
   become segregated.
4. Sociology to practice, require, or enforce segregation, esp. racial segregation.
5. Genetics (of allelic genes) to separate during meiosis.

n. 

6. a segregated thing, person, or group.

• Latin sēgregātus (past participle of sēgregāre to part from the flock), equivalent. to sē- se- + greg- (stem of grex flock) + -ātus -ate¹; see gregarious
• 1400–50 in sense "segregated''; 1535–45 as transitive verb, verbal; late Middle English segregat

seg•re•ga•ble  (seg′ri gə bəl), adj.  seg′re•ga′tive, adj. 
Antonyms

• 1. integrate.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

segregate / ˈsɛɡrɪˌɡeɪt/ verb

1. to set or be set apart from others or from the main group
2. (transitive) to impose segregation on (a racial or minority group)
3. to undergo or cause to undergo segregation

Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin sēgregāre, from sē- apart + grex a flock

ˈsegreˌgative adjective

ˈsegreˌgator noun