sever

[ sev-er ]
/ ˈsɛv ər /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR sever ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to separate (a part) from the whole, as by cutting or the like.
to divide into parts, especially forcibly; cleave.
to break off or dissolve (ties, relations, etc.).
Law. to divide into parts; disunite (an estate, titles of a statute, etc.).
to distinguish; discriminate between.

verb (used without object)

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

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of sever

1300–50; Middle English severen < Middle French sev(e)rer to separate

OTHER WORDS FROM sever

half-sev·ered, adjectiveun·sev·ered, adjective

Words nearby sever

seventy-six, seventy-sixth, seventy-third, seventy-three, seventy-two, sever, severable, several, severalfold, severally, severalty
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to sever

detach, disconnect, split, separate, terminate, abandon, dissolve, rive, sunder, cleave, cut, divide, bisect, dissect, disjoin, dissociate, part, slice, disunite, carve

Example sentences from the Web for sever

British Dictionary definitions for sever

sever
/ (ˈsɛvə) /

verb

to put or be put apart; separate
to divide or be divided into parts
(tr) to break off or dissolve (a tie, relationship, etc)

Word Origin for sever

C14 severen, from Old French severer, from Latin sēparāre to separate
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012