From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishisolatei‧so‧late /ˈaɪsəleɪt/ ●○○ AWL verb [transitive] 1 to separate one person, group, or thing from other people or things The town was isolated by the floods. The US has sought to isolate Cuba both economically and politically.isolate somebody from somebody Presley’s phenomenal early success isolated him from his friends.isolate somebody from something Newborn babies must be isolated from possible contamination.2 SEPARATEif you isolate an idea, problem etc, you consider it separately from other things that are connected with itisolate something from something It is impossible to isolate political responsibility from moral responsibility.3 technicalSEPARATE to separate a substance, disease etc from other substances so that it can be studiedisolate something from something The hepatitis B virus has been isolated from breast milk.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
isolate• Yet it is often a hidden disability, which isolates both the people who suffer from it and their families.• The U.S. has tried to isolate Cuba both economically and politically.• The six other patients were immediately isolated from the infected four.• We used to routinely isolate people who had measles.• We've succeeded in isolating the gene that determines a person's weight.• Their goal is to surround and isolate the town.• They may reject you and isolate you because you are different from them and they would like to be like you.isolate somebody from somebody• Presley's early success isolated him from his friends.• Tuberculosis patients are isolated from the other patients.isolate something from something• It is impossible to isolate political responsibility from moral responsibility.From Longman Business Dictionaryisolatei‧so‧late /ˈaɪsəleɪt/ verb [transitive]1to prevent a country or company from getting support or business from other countries or companies, so that it becomes weakerEfforts to isolate North Korea financially through targeted measures appeared to be working.2to separate something so that it can be dealt with by itself, rather than affecting the whole of a business, market etcAfter isolating the problem, investigate it as quickly as possible and resolve it. —isolation noun [uncountable]Inflation cannot be addressed in isolation from other economic problems. —isolated adjectiveThe regime has become increasingly isolated.→ See Verb tableOrigin isolate (1800-1900) isolated 