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)
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have severedperfect
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has severedperfect 3rd person singular
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has been severingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is severingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am severingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been severingperfect progressive
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severingparticiple
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are severingprogressive
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severssingular 3rd person
Past
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had severedperfect
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severedsimple
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was severingprogressive singular
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severedparticiple
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had been severingperfect progressive
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were severingprogressive plural
Future
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
Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Beowulf: A New Telling
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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.
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
Some members of her party have pushed Sheinbaum to sever ties with Rocha Moya and other leaders suspected of links to organized crime, lest Morena be tainted by the allegations.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
It denounces the judge’s “attempts to strip RIH of its ability to participate in these proceedings, and, by extension, to sever this court from the party whose rights are directly at stake.”
From Slate • May 19, 2026
That has involved "moving closer to the European Union, accelerating diplomatic repairs with China, and resisting American pressure to sever ties with Russia".
From BBC • May 7, 2026
“Falling asleep might sever the tether,” she said, “and cut the moth loose.”
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
