severed; severing
ˈsev-riŋ 
ˈse-və-
: to put or keep apart : divide
especially
: to remove (something, such as a part) by or as if by cutting
: to become separated
Synonyms
Examples of sever in a Sentence
He severed the lowest tree limbs.
His finger was severed in the accident.
Activists are asking the government to sever all diplomatic relations with the country.
Recent Examples on the Web
In Houston last year, an intoxicated man was found dead, with his leg severed, in an area where remote locomotives were in use.
—
Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, New York Times, 27 May 2024
Get this: Jiménez died in 2006, two years before the project's end — after a piece of the 9,000-pound sculpture had fallen on him and severed an artery in his leg (it was later completed by his son).
—Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 18 May 2024
But campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war appear to be meeting it – at least at some schools, including New York's Columbia University, which has been the nexus of student activism and demands for college administrators to sever economic ties with Israel.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024
The investment is widely seen as a U.S.-brokered reward for G42 severing its once-close ties with China and Chinese chip companies.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for sever 
Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, New York Times, 27 May 2024
Get this: Jiménez died in 2006, two years before the project's end — after a piece of the 9,000-pound sculpture had fallen on him and severed an artery in his leg (it was later completed by his son).
—Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 18 May 2024
But campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war appear to be meeting it – at least at some schools, including New York's Columbia University, which has been the nexus of student activism and demands for college administrators to sever economic ties with Israel.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024
The investment is widely seen as a U.S.-brokered reward for G42 severing its once-close ties with China and Chinese chip companies.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 20 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for sever
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sever.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sever
Cite this Entry
“Sever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sever. Accessed 8 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
sever
transitive verb
sev·er
ˈse-vər
severed; severing
1
: to end (a joint tenancy) by ending one or all of the unities of time, title, possession, or interest (as by conveying one tenant's interest to another party)
2
: to separate (as a contract) into different parts (as independent obligations) in order to treat each separately
3
a
: to try (criminal offenses or defendants) separately in order to avoid prejudice
b
: to split (a criminal trial) into multiple trials in order to avoid prejudice
c
: to try (civil claims or issues pleaded in the same case) separately
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