sever

American  

[sev-er] / ˈsɛv ər /

verb (used with object)

• severs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• severed,
  past participle,  past
• severing
  present participle

1. to separate (a part) from the whole, as by cutting or the like.

2. to divide into parts, especially forcibly; cleave.

3. to break off or dissolve (ties, relations, etc.).

4. Law. to divide into parts; disunite (an estate, titles of a statute, etc.).

5. to distinguish; discriminate between.

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verb (used without object)

• severs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• severed,
  past participle,  past
• severing
  present participle

1. to become separated from each other; become divided into parts.

sever British  

/ ˈsɛvə /

verb

1. to put or be put apart; separate

2. to divide or be divided into parts

3. (tr) to break off or dissolve (a tie, relationship, etc)

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• severing
  present
• severed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sever
  simple
• severs
  simple
• have severed
  perfect
• has severed
  perfect
• am severing
  progressive
• are severing
  progressive
• is severing
  progressive
• have been severing
  perfect progressive
• has been severing
  perfect progressive

Past

• severed
  simple
• had severed
  perfect
• was severing
  progressive
• were severing
  progressive
• had been severing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sever
  simple
• will have severed
  perfect
• will be severing
  progressive
• will have been severing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of sever

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English severen, from Middle French sev(e)rer; see separate

Explanation

To sever something is to cut it off from the whole. If your girlfriend breaks up with you on your anniversary, you might respond by severing the blossoms off the roses you were planning to give her. (Just an idea.) Sever rhymes with ever, but it looks like the word severe, which means "harsh." The similarity between sever and severe is a good reminder to reserve sever for harsh, unpleasant circumstances. If you’re trimming your fingernails, you might use the word clip, but sever wouldn’t be appropriate. If, however, you somehow cut off your finger while clipping your fingernails, you’re free to use the word sever — or any other word you like — on your way to the hospital.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sever severs severed severing

Now, however, it seems Quaid is ready to sever his remaining ties to California, putting his dwelling on the market for just over $1 million more than he paid for it nearly 10 years ago.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

In Alibaba's case, the company argues that this restriction creates a functional blockade, forcing its long-term American advisers to sever ties to protect their own lucrative defence contracts.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

When the opera company requested the Kennedy Center remedy the issue, center officials asked to sever ties.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

Visa and Mastercard payments in Cuba will be suspended from Saturday after US sanctions prompted a foreign bank to sever ties with a state-backed financial institution, Cuba's central bank said Wednesday.

From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026

Time, as she had done to me for the past eighteen years, will provide them also with the half-baked answers to the surreal life I was about to sever myself from.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

For LGBTQ+ Christians, it can be a spiritual one, a forced concealment that severs them from authentic relationships with communities they love and were raised in, and with God.

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026

“The Last of Us” “There’s nothing smarter than ‘Severance,’ a dystopian thriller where employees of the secretive Lumon Industries undergo a surgical procedure that mentally severs their work memories from their personal life.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2025

It follows workers at a megacorporation who submit to a procedure that severs their work memories from their personal ones, and it gets wildly weird.

From Slate ● Jan. 16, 2025

They also point out that relocation severs the deep, centuries-old connection that rural Tibetans share with their land.

From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2024

In the Greek myth of Prometheus the gift of fire forever severs humankind from the natural world—the burning torch is the icon of the constructed and artificial.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

These are among the most severe forms of DNA damage because both strands of the DNA molecule are severed.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026

Foam pieces from the copter’s main rotor blade and a severed bird wing were discovered about 2,000 feet northwest of the crash site, according to the documents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

This has effectively severed the supply of EU workers to NI's food processing and manufacturing plants.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026

Activists have urged L.A. to join the list of cities that have severed ties with the license plate reader company over concerns about how data is stored and shared.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

Peralta, like many other Mexicans, is trying to make it on his own and has never severed his emotional or financial ties to home.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

“If you say that, you risk severing your relationship with your parent.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

The relief that came with the decision to finally let go was completely dwarfed by the immense pain of severing a family in two.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

Not the part about severing ties to the British crown; that was a fine idea.

From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026

In a statement released Wednesday, Cuba's central bank said a foreign bank was severing ties with Fincimex S.A.,

From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026

If Bobby had any trepidation about permanently severing his relationship with the United States, there was no evidence of it in the renunciation he wrote.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• abandon
• break off
• dissolve
• put an end to
• separate
• terminate