as in to sever
medical
to remove (part of a person's body)
His arm was badly injured and had to be amputated.
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Recent Examples of amputate
Days later, on December 16, 2008, doctors amputated Schultz’s leg just above the knee.
—
Jonathan Carone, Parents, 3 Mar. 2026
There was an accident near Houston that resulted in one of the monks having to get his leg amputated.
—Sarah Hepola, Dallas Morning News, 27 Feb. 2026
The surgeon sutured the wounds but knew the arm would have to be amputated.
—Sarah El Deeb, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
That was before 2023, when a bout with pneumonia led to an infection that required all of his limbs to be amputated.
—J.d. Miles, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for amputate
Jonathan Carone, Parents, 3 Mar. 2026
There was an accident near Houston that resulted in one of the monks having to get his leg amputated.
—Sarah Hepola, Dallas Morning News, 27 Feb. 2026
The surgeon sutured the wounds but knew the arm would have to be amputated.
—Sarah El Deeb, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
That was before 2023, when a bout with pneumonia led to an infection that required all of his limbs to be amputated.
—J.d. Miles, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for amputate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for amputate
Verb
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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
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Several strikes hit the suspension bridge yesterday, severing a key new route under construction between Tehran and the city of Karaj, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported, citing a local security official.—
Leila Gharagozlou,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Chelsea were a few seconds from going out of the quarter-finals (losing 3-2 on aggregate) when Arsenal full-back Katie McCabe halted a run by Chelsea’s USWNT forward Alyssa Thompson by grabbing Thompson’s ponytail and yanking it, as shown above.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
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Severino allowed back-to-back singles with one out in the fourth and was yanked for reliever Elvis Alvarado.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Amputate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/amputate. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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