sever

[sev-er]

See more 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.

Origin of sever

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

Related formshalf-sev·ered, adjectiveun·sev·ered, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for sever

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

Examples from the Web for sever

Contemporary Examples of sever

But the decision now to sever economic ties with the eastern regions was a surprise—and a gamble.
Eastern Ukraine Braces for ‘Full-Scale War’
Jamie Dettmer
November 17, 2014
They [the regime] try to sever connections between those living outside and those based inside Iran.
Iran Says Take Off the Veil—and Be Raped
IranWire
June 9, 2014
It is unlikely that this ‘revolution’ in Kiev will sever a centuries-old bond.
Is Kharkiv Ukraine’s Next Tipping Point?
Vijai Maheshwari
March 13, 2014
A large coalition of Palestinian civil society groups is now calling on Oxfam to sever ties with her “immediately.”
Why Oxfam Should Drop Scarlett Johansson For Her Pro-SodaStream Stance
Ali Abunimah
January 29, 2014
Some people may simply find ways to sever their awkward ties that chafe.
Income Inequality Within Families is Emerging as a Major Issue
Janna Malamud Smith
January 19, 2013

Historical Examples of sever

And do you think it will not cost me an effort to sever our friendship?
The Hunted Outlaw
Anonymous
If you sever a number of these cords, you alter the entire drape of the curtain.
The Mystery of Murray Davenport
Robert Neilson Stephens
Elizabeth I have put away––death could not sever us more effectually.
A Singer from the Sea
Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr
There must be continuity of this structure too, for to sever a nerve is to paralyze all beyond.
The Machinery of the Universe
Amos Emerson Dolbear
I am here to say this to you: here and now I sever our betrothal!
Pretty Madcap Dorothy
Laura Jean Libbey

British Dictionary definitions for sever

sever

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

Word Origin and History for sever

c.1300, from Anglo-French severer, Old French sevrer "to separate" (12c., later in French restricted to "to wean," i.e. "to separare from the mother"), from Vulgar Latin *seperare, from Latin separare "to separate" (see separate (v.)).