amputate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cut off (all or part of a limb or digit of the body), as by surgery.
-
to prune, lop off, or remove.
Because of space limitations the editor amputated the last two paragraphs of the news report.
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Obsolete. to prune, as branches of trees.
verb
Other Word Forms
- amputation noun
- amputative adjective
- amputator noun
- nonamputation noun
- postamputation adjective
- self-amputation noun
- unamputated adjective
- unamputative adjective
Etymology
Origin of amputate
1630–40; < Latin amputātus pruned, trimmed (past participle of amputāre ), equivalent to am ( bi ) around ( ambi- ) + put- trim + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
Use the verb amputate when you need to describe the surgical removal of a limb, such as an arm or a leg. For example, a doctor might amputate an accident victim's badly crushed arm. No doubt you hope you'll never have to tell someone that you have to amputate, but if you do make sure you pronounce the word correctly, with the accent on the first syllable: "AM-pyo-tate." Amputate comes from the Latin word amputat-, meaning "lopped off." It can describe the removal of limbs or digits from both humans and animals.
Vocabulary lists containing amputate
Boy: Tales of Childhood
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"Kids Are Inventors, Too"
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"They Speak for Success" and "Breaking the Ice"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He did his best to amputate above the sickly parts in the hope of saving the patient’s life.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026
Although he was given many stitches that night, veterinarians ultimately decided it would be necessary to amputate the leg.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025
Shaymaa was rushed to Nasser Hospital, where doctors quickly decided to amputate.
From New York Times • Mar. 25, 2024
Another infection led doctors to amputate his left arm below the elbow that December.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 4, 2023
“Before that, she had polio. Her right leg was shorter than her left. She wore long skirts to cover her legs. Eventually they had to amputate her right leg.”
From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
