sever

verb

sev·​er ˈse-vər 

severed; severing ˈsev-riŋ 

ˈse-və-

transitive verb

: to put or keep apart : divide

especially : to remove (something, such as a part) by or as if by cutting

intransitive verb

: to become separated

Synonyms

• break up
• decouple
• disassociate
• disconnect
• disjoin
• disjoint
• dissever
• dissociate
• disunite
• divide
• divorce
• part
• ramify
• resolve
• separate
• split
• sunder
• uncouple
• unlink
• unyoke

Choose the Right Synonym for sever

separate, part, divide, sever, sunder, divorce mean to become or cause to become disunited or disjointed.

separate may imply any of several causes such as dispersion, removal of one from others, or presence of an intervening thing.

separated her personal life from her career

part implies the separating of things or persons in close union or association.

vowed never to part

divide implies separating into pieces or sections by cutting or breaking.

civil war divided the nation

sever implies violence especially in the removal of a part or member.

a severed limb

sunder suggests violent rending or wrenching apart.

a city sundered by racial conflict

divorce implies separating two things that commonly interact and belong together.

cannot divorce scientific research from moral responsibility

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

Economic impact: The collapse of the bridge severed ocean links to the Port of Baltimore, which provides about 20,000 jobs to the area. —Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024

The pair was initially set to be tried together, but a judge severed their trials after Daybell waived his right to a speedy trial. —CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024

The impulse is so ingrained that when patients have their corpus callosum severed, making communication between the two hemispheres of the brain impossible, the left hemisphere simply invents plausible explanations to account for inputs to the right side of the brain that the left side hasn’t seen. —Brian Klaas, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024

Johnson’s relationship with son Colt — who starred on the franchise in seasons past — had been temporarily severed due to ongoing disagreements. —Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024

Following Glas’s arrest, a host of Latin American countries – including regional giants Brazil and Argentina – rallied around Mexico, while Nicaragua joined it in severing diplomatic ties. —Marlon Sorto, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024

That understanding held until the NHL severed ties with the KHL in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine. —Elissa Harwood, NPR, 3 Apr. 2024

Following that trip, Beijing conducted provocative military exercises in the region and severed communication across its government with U.S. counterparts. —Cate Cadell, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024

The widespread criticism from the spectacle led to Ye unleashing a stream of antisemitic rhetoric, which prompted Adidas and Gap to sever their business relationships with Yeezy. —Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French severer, from Latin separare — more at separate

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

sever

verb

sev·​er ˈsev-ər 

severed; severing -(ə-)riŋ 

1

: to put or keep apart : divide

especially : to cut off or through

2

: to come or break apart

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

severance

ˈse-vrəns, -və-rens 

noun