severed; severing
ˈse-və-riŋ 
ˈsev-riŋ
: to put or keep apart : divide
especially
: to remove (something, such as a part) by or as if by cutting
: to become separated
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
Bank, a New York surgeon who founded a clinic focused on post-mastectomy pain, said the pain is believed to be triggered by nerves that are severed during surgery and then left that way.
—
Brett Kelman, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Photos of the aftermath of the strike, which killed eight people and injured dozens of others, showed the B1 bridge just outside the Iranian capital severed in half.
—Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
In the News Chronicle, published seven months after the rescue, Cox said the raft was initially attacked by a stinging octopus, and that the lost man, severed by a shark, was finished off by a manta ray.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 3 Apr. 2026
Traditionally reliant on French institutional funding, the event now confronts an uncertain future as Mali’s military government severs ties with its former colonial overlord.
—Smooth Nzewi, Artforum, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sever
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Brett Kelman, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Photos of the aftermath of the strike, which killed eight people and injured dozens of others, showed the B1 bridge just outside the Iranian capital severed in half.
—Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
In the News Chronicle, published seven months after the rescue, Cox said the raft was initially attacked by a stinging octopus, and that the lost man, severed by a shark, was finished off by a manta ray.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 3 Apr. 2026
Traditionally reliant on French institutional funding, the event now confronts an uncertain future as Mali’s military government severs ties with its former colonial overlord.
—Smooth Nzewi, Artforum, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sever
Cite this Entry
“Sever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sever. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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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