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Glite Dictionary
to go their separate ways

to go their separate ways

8 3.9
Stop being together and take different paths in life
  • idiom
translation icon : 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.

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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.

    Habit (1997)

  • 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.

    Sharkansas Women's Prison Massacre (2015)

  • They've gone their separate ways.

    The Avengers (2012)

  • Murphy nods, and they go their separate ways.

    Fiction book (1999)

Synonyms

to break up
vsto go their separate ways
  • Informal
678 2.6

End a relationship with someone, for example a romantic or business partner

is used more generally for leaving after collaborations as well as relationships
to split
vsto go their separate ways
575 2.3

End a relationship or go separate ways

emphasizes pursuing different life paths after collaborative or personal ties end
to separate
vsto go their separate ways
481 2.9

To move apart or stop being together

focuses on pursuing different future paths after the ending rather than physical distance
to part
vsto go their separate ways
241 2.9

To separate and move in different directions after being together

focuses more on pursuing new independent paths after people stop being together
to depart
vsto go their separate ways
176 1.3

To leave a place to start a journey

is more about ending relationships and pursuing different life paths rather than travel
to split up
vsto go their separate ways
  • Informal
137 2.7

To end a close relationship and go separate ways

applies broadly to leaving and pursuing different paths after collaborations end
to dissolve
vsto go their separate ways
  • Formal
60 4.1

To officially end an organization, agreement, or relationship

focuses more on people pursuing different paths rather than formal termination
to disband
vsto go their separate ways
43 4.3

To stop being a group, for example a band or committee

describes individual leaving and finding new paths rather than closing the whole group
to break away
vsto go their separate ways
30 4.1

To leave an organization and form a separate group

describes leaving without necessarily forming a new group, focusing on different paths
to part ways
vsto go their separate ways
23 3.9

To stop being together or working with someone and go in different directions

focuses on pursuing different life or work paths after a relationship ends
to splinter
vsto go their separate ways
11 6.2

To leave a group and form a smaller, separate one often after disagreement

is broader, covering any leaving rather than only departures caused by disagreement
to cut the cord
vsto go their separate ways
  • Informal
5 6.6

To stop depending on someone or something and become independent

is used more generally for leaving without the emphasis on gaining independence
to disaffiliate
vsto go their separate ways
  • Formal
1 7.5

To stop being a member of a group or organization

is used for general leaving after collaborations rather than formal membership changes

Antonyms

to stay together
140 2.1

Remain close and loyal to each other during hard times

to reunite
138 3.2

To bring people or things back together after being apart

How Separated

to go their separate ways
8 3.9
to break up
  • Informal
678 2.6

Surface Forms

go their separate ways infinitive
going their separate ways present participle
goes their separate ways third person singular
went their separate ways past
gone their separate ways past participle

Morphology

go + their + separate + way

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'.