to go their separate ways
8
3.9
- idiom
:
irse por caminos separados
- As much as Casi hated it, she and Steve had to go their separate ways, caring for whom they could.
- people go their separate ways
- men went their separate ways
- then went their separate ways
They used to use this they well him, he had a partner, they were working together for a while and then they they went their separate ways.
- They used to use this they well him, he had a partner, they were working together for a while and then they they went their separate ways.
- The couple that should part let them go their separate ways.
Examples
-
Other members of Parliament had spoken with Etheridge shortly before they all left the House and went their separate ways.
Fiction book (1990) -
When the project was completed, the team members went their separate ways, each pursuing new opportunities.
-
Everybody I know's gone their separate ways.
-
I do hope they break up and go their separate ways after this event.
Blog text (26) -
So they went their separate ways with an agreement to get back together later.
Fiction book (1998) -
Paul was having none of it, and they went their separate ways.
Blog text (29) -
"And I think at some point we will come back up here once our kids have gone their separate ways."
Blog text (1) -
Look, tomorrow they'll most likely go their separate ways.
-
They've gone their separate ways.
-
Murphy nods, and they go their separate ways.
Fiction book (1999)
Synonyms
678
2.6
End a relationship with someone, for example a romantic or business partner
575
2.3
End a relationship or go separate ways
481
2.9
To move apart or stop being together
241
2.9
To separate and move in different directions after being together
176
1.3
To leave a place to start a journey
137
2.7
To end a close relationship and go separate ways
60
4.1
To officially end an organization, agreement, or relationship
43
4.3
To stop being a group, for example a band or committee
30
4.1
To leave an organization and form a separate group
23
3.9
To stop being together or working with someone and go in different directions
11
6.2
To leave a group and form a smaller, separate one often after disagreement
5
6.6
To stop depending on someone or something and become independent
1
7.5
To stop being a member of a group or organization
Antonyms
How Separated
8
3.9
- Informal
678
2.6
17
3.7
140
2.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'go' = move, 'separate' = move apart/end association, and 'ways' = routes or directions, so a learner who knows these words can infer that people move off in different directions or end their association. This pattern (e.g. Spanish 'ir por caminos separados') is cross-linguistically common, making the expression immediately understandable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Go their separate ways comes from the simple image of people at a fork in the road who go in separate ways, each taking a different path away from the others. So it means 'to part company and follow different paths'.