as in severing
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 amputating
Before his death, attempts had been made to save Abrahams by amputating his leg, ITV reported.
—
Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
The main characters, who wake up chained to pipes, quickly realize amputating their own foot is the only means of escape.
—The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025
What to know about California’s new claw law Declawing a cat involves cutting and amputating the first joint of a cat’s paw — essentially removing the toe, according to the San Francisco SPCA.
—Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
The main characters, who wake up chained to pipes, quickly realize amputating their own foot is the only means of escape.
—The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025
What to know about California’s new claw law Declawing a cat involves cutting and amputating the first joint of a cat’s paw — essentially removing the toe, according to the San Francisco SPCA.
—Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for amputating
Verb
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Then, in 2023, longtime member Emilio Ghanem vanished shortly after severing ties with the group, authorities said.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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That’s the key point here, as Mafty is an organization that’s aimed at severing the heads of the Federation from their engorged bodies.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Hotel video footage showed the pair forcing entry into the hotel by yanking on a lobby door and breaking the lock.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2026
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The yellow bucket of a heavy construction excavator crashed down onto the roof of the vacant home at Parade Park, yanking it into a heap of split plaster and lumber.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Amputating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/amputating. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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