To save this word, you'll need to log in.
sev·er | \ ˈse-vər 
\
\severed; severing\ ˈsev-riŋ , ˈse-və- \
, ˈse-və- \Definition of sever
: to put or keep apart : divide especially : to remove (something, such as a part) by or as if by cutting
: to become separated
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms & Antonyms for sever
Synonyms
- break up,
- decouple,
- disassociate,
- disconnect,
- disjoin,
- disjoint,
- dissever,
- dissociate,
- disunite,
- divide,
- divorce,
- part,
- ramify,
- resolve,
- separate,
- split,
- sunder,
- uncouple,
- unlink,
- unyoke
Antonyms
Visit the Thesaurus for More
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.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web Ramos said her alarming conversations with Boston Capital Consultants eventually led her to sever ties.
—
J. David Mcswane, ProPublica, "Cannabis, Lies and Foreign Cash: A Mother and Daughter’s Journey Through the Underground Mask Trade," 3 Aug. 2020 TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, has agreed to completely sever ties with the social media app's U.S. operations with Microsoft taking over, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters Saturday.
—
TheWeek, "TikTok's Chinese parent company reportedly agrees to divest app's U.S. operations," 1 Aug. 2020 Several prominent academic mathematicians want to sever ties with police departments across the U.S., according to a letter submitted to Notices of the American Mathematical Society on June 15.
—
Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, "Why Hundreds of Mathematicians Are Boycotting Predictive Policing," 20 July 2020 President Donald Trump signed an executive order late Thursday blocking all U.S. transactions with TikTok’s Chinese parent corporation, ByteDance, the latest move by the administration to force the video-sharing app to sever its ties to Beijing.
—
Josh Rivera, USA TODAY, "TikTok is planning to sue the Trump administration as early as Tuesday, according to a report," 9 Aug. 2020 Already, nations are taking steps to sever that relationship.
—
Naomi Xu Elegant, Fortune, "If you’re reading this, Beijing says its new Hong Kong security law applies to you," 7 July 2020 Last week, a group comprising more than 85 investment firms and shareholders controlling hundreds of billion of dollars in assets urged FedEx, Nike and PepsiCo to sever ties with the team unless the owner changes the name.
—
Hamza Shaban, Washington Post, "Walmart, Target dropping Washington NFL merchandise as the team reviews its name," 6 July 2020 Ben & Jerry's, despite its radical politics, has yet to respond to a nearly decade-old call to sever its ties with the Israeli government, which is currently occupying Palestine.
—
Michelle Santiago Cortés, refinery29.com, "What It Means When Brands Boycott Social Media Ads," 29 June 2020 As delegates lobbied their home states to support the resolution, five men got to work on an accompanying document that laid out the reasons colonists wanted to sever ties with Britain.
—
Erin Blakemore, National Geographic, "America declared independence on July 2—so why is the 4th a holiday?," 2 July 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sever.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for sever
sever
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of sever
: to cut off (something) : to remove or separate (something) by cutting
: to end (a relationship, connection, etc.) completely
See the full definition for sever in the English Language Learners Dictionary
sever
verbsev·er | \ ˈse-vər \
\severed; severing
Kids Definition of sever
: to cut off
… the sword … severed the tip of his tail.— Brian Jacques, Redwall
sever
transitive verbsev·er | \ ˈse-vər \
\severed; severing
Legal Definition of sever
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
3a : 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
Other Words from sever
severance \ ˈse-vrəns, -və-rens \ noun
\ nounKeep scrolling for more
Comments on sever
What made you want to look up sever? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz
- Which of the following best describes an easily irritated person?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
- Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz
Test your knowledge of strange human behaviors.
Take the quiz - Name That Thing: Animal Edition
How many animals can you identify?
Take the quiz - Spell It
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
Take the quiz - Citation
Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?
Play the game
Share sever
Time Traveler for sever
The first known use of sever was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century