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
After severing the large roots, use a mattock or shovel to loosen soil for easier removal.
—
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2026
At the same time, many Black neighborhoods were gravely impacted by redlining, divestment and freeway construction, severing economic stability and reducing access to green spaces and fresh food.
—Martine Thompson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
Wilson has blossomed after severing ties with her father, recently embarking on a modeling career.
—Kahina Sekkaï, Vanity Fair, 27 Feb. 2026
The city hired consultants to weigh the costs and benefits of severing the city’s 27-year partnership with BSO to return to an independent Pompano Beach Police Department.
—Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026
Georgalis also cited a potential conflict of interest as justification for severing the cases.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 11 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
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2026
At the same time, many Black neighborhoods were gravely impacted by redlining, divestment and freeway construction, severing economic stability and reducing access to green spaces and fresh food.
—Martine Thompson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
Wilson has blossomed after severing ties with her father, recently embarking on a modeling career.
—Kahina Sekkaï, Vanity Fair, 27 Feb. 2026
The city hired consultants to weigh the costs and benefits of severing the city’s 27-year partnership with BSO to return to an independent Pompano Beach Police Department.
—Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026
Georgalis also cited a potential conflict of interest as justification for severing the cases.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 11 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for severing
Verb
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The line separating the two is blurry, as both star types experience winds and ejecta before dying.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Mar. 2026
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While Trump officials say the current deportation surge is succeeding in rooting out dangerous criminals, immigrant advocates have decried the crackdown for separating families and sending people back to countries where their lives may be in danger.—
Ethan Varian,
Mercury News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The median offers a more accurate view of what's happening in a market than the average sales price, which would mean taking the sum of all sales prices then dividing by the number of homes sold.—
USA TODAY Network,
Florida Times-Union,
7 Mar. 2026
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In this one, the death of a young woman ends up dividing its citizens, stoking rumors and accusations.—
Jasmine Vojdani,
Vulture,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Take the time, then, to consider your account options with care and evaluate the interest-earning potential of splitting your money among a series of accounts.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
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Headaches grow for California’s Democratic Party chair as another poll shows eight Democratic candidates for governor are splitting the vote so many ways that Republicans could win the top 2 primary spots.—
Bay Area News Group,
Mercury News,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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House Bill 1002 offers multiple solutions, including automatically placing residential ratepayers on budget billing and prohibiting utilities from disconnecting low-income customers’ services during periods with extreme heat warnings.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
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How To Prevent Freeze Damage Besides disconnecting a water hose from an outdoor spigot and storing it somewhere indoors, a protective cover for your spigot and draining extra water are also recommended.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Severing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/severing. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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