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
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
In 2021, while coaching at Jackson State, Sanders had two toes on his left foot amputated due to blood clots.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Health officials in Gaza say more than 4,700 Palestinians have had limbs amputated in the nearly two years of war.
—Daniel Estrin, NPR, 29 Sep. 2025
Its namesake, cattleman Oliver Loving, was shot by a band of raiders during a cattle drive in 1866, and died of shock a few days later after a doctor didn’t amputate his gangrenous arm.
—Mitch Moxley, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for amputate
Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2025
In 2021, while coaching at Jackson State, Sanders had two toes on his left foot amputated due to blood clots.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Health officials in Gaza say more than 4,700 Palestinians have had limbs amputated in the nearly two years of war.
—Daniel Estrin, NPR, 29 Sep. 2025
Its namesake, cattleman Oliver Loving, was shot by a band of raiders during a cattle drive in 1866, and died of shock a few days later after a doctor didn’t amputate his gangrenous arm.
—Mitch Moxley, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for amputate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for amputate
Verb
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To minimize okra's infamous textural issues, take care not to cut the stem end so closely that the pod is severed.—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
9 Nov. 2025
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In 2022, debris from an underwater volcanic eruption severed the island's only subsea communication cable, cutting the island off from the rest of the world.—
Magdalena Petrova,
CNBC,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Therefore Primate and its promising central character turns more into a typical slasher flick, repeatedly knocking off the swimsuit-wearing teens one by one, his specialty being yanking out jaws and other bloody grossouts.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
8 Jan. 2026
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Officer Alex Millan then yanked open the passenger door of the suspects’ car; at the same time, the car drove forward over the curb.—
Bay Area News Group,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Amputate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/amputate. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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