as in separating
to set or force apart
disapproving parents who were willing to do anything to sever the young lovers
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Recent Examples of severing
Georgalis also cited a potential conflict of interest as justification for severing the cases.
—
Zack Meisel, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
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
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
Tammy Wynette and George Jones may have gotten a D-I-V-O-R-C-E, but the crooning duo had a hard time severing ties for good.
—Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Jan. 2026
Save money by severing relationships.
—Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
The study found that severing ties with BSO could save the city more than $500 million over the next 20 years.
—Carlton Gillespie, Miami Herald, 10 Jan. 2026
One of the biggest barriers to drones is electronic warfare, which disables drones by severing their connection with the user.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Dec. 2025
According to the hospital, the heavy equipment tore away large portions of skin from her scalp and neck, completely severing her ear along with the surrounding tissue.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 26 Dec. 2025
Zack Meisel, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
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
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
Tammy Wynette and George Jones may have gotten a D-I-V-O-R-C-E, but the crooning duo had a hard time severing ties for good.
—Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Jan. 2026
Save money by severing relationships.
—Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
The study found that severing ties with BSO could save the city more than $500 million over the next 20 years.
—Carlton Gillespie, Miami Herald, 10 Jan. 2026
One of the biggest barriers to drones is electronic warfare, which disables drones by severing their connection with the user.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Dec. 2025
According to the hospital, the heavy equipment tore away large portions of skin from her scalp and neck, completely severing her ear along with the surrounding tissue.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 26 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for severing
Verb
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Friday’s event was not the first time the President has delivered such overtly political remarks at military venues, testing the tradition of separating the armed forces from partisan politics.—
Nandika Chatterjee,
Time,
15 Feb. 2026
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The field is tightly bunched, with just over a second separating the top 10.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Cool the sauce quickly by dividing it into multiple shallow containers, and make sure to refrigerate within two hours of cooking.—
Lauren Wicks,
Southern Living,
10 Feb. 2026
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Heating Degree Days are calculated by taking the day's high temperature and adding it to the day's low temperature, then dividing by 2 and subtracting that value from 65.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The robots were able to self-organize and divide tasks on their own, including splitting into teams to tackle separate fire outbreaks.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Feb. 2026
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Although the servicing stop for the California Zephyr is too short to explore beyond the platform, Denver is a great overnight choice for passengers splitting up the 43-hour journey.—
Iona Brannon,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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If passed, the bill would allow residential ratepayers to be placed on budget billing plans on July 1, and utilities will be prohibited from disconnecting low-income customers’ services during periods with extreme heat warnings.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
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Well Connected Health reached out to suggest disconnecting and reconnecting my records.—
Liz Salmi,
STAT,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Severing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/severing. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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