sever
Americanverb (used with object)
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to separate (a part) from the whole, as by cutting or the like.
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to divide into parts, especially forcibly; cleave.
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to break off or dissolve (ties, relations, etc.).
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Law. to divide into parts; disunite (an estate, titles of a statute, etc.).
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to distinguish; discriminate between.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to put or be put apart; separate
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to divide or be divided into parts
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(tr) to break off or dissolve (a tie, relationship, etc)
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.
Vocabulary lists containing sever
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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.
“With Starlink, they tightly controlled units,” Sever said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026
Jensterle Sever clarified that her team assessed “only a specific taste in a study environment, which may not reflect everyday experience.”
From Salon • Jun. 5, 2024
Led by photographer Ogun Sever Okur, they climbed up the debris in Hatay and attached balloons to metal wires sticking out of the piles of debris.
From BBC • Feb. 19, 2023
“What a non-scientist or the layperson doesn’t realize is that there is a huge bolus of information and consensus that the two people who are arguing will agree upon,” Dr. Sever said.
From New York Times • Aug. 22, 2021
Adrenaline burst through me as we raced back down the stairs of Sever Hall and back outside.
From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks
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.
