Meaning & use
separate entities
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
two or more things that are completely separate and not connected to each other.
Grammar: Used as a plural noun phrase. It usually follows a verb like 'remain' or 'become', or a preposition like 'as'.
Patterns
- remain separate entities
- become separate entities
- as separate entities
The two companies will remain separate entities after the merger.
In law, a corporation and its owners are treated as separate entities.
The twins are separate entities, even though they look identical.
Common combinations
- remain separate entities
- The two departments will remain separate entities.
- become separate entities
- After the split, they became separate entities.
- treated as separate entities
- The branches are treated as separate entities for tax purposes.
- legally separate entities
- The parent company and its subsidiary are legally separate entities.
Synonyms and how they differ
- distinct
- Use 'distinct' as an adjective to describe things that are clearly different; 'separate entities' is a noun phrase for the things themselves.
- independent
- This emphasizes freedom from control, while 'separate entities' emphasizes being apart from each other.
Opposites
Word family
- separate adjective
- not joined or touching; different
- separately adverb
- not together; one by one
- separation noun
- the act of moving apart or dividing
- entity noun
- something that exists as a single independent unit
Commonly confused: separate entities or separate entity?
separate entities vs separate entity
This is the singular form; use 'separate entities' when you mean more than one.
Practice
The two divisions operate as ______, with their own budgets and managers.
Choose one answer.
The plural 'separate entities' is needed because 'two divisions' is plural. 'Separate entity' is singular and would not agree. 'Separately entities' is not grammatical, and 'separating entities' would mean entities that are separating, which is not the intended meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “separate entities”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.