sever

verb

sev·​er ˈse-vər How to pronounce sever (audio)
severed; severing ˈse-və-riŋ How to pronounce sever (audio)
ˈsev-riŋ
Synonyms of sever

transitive verb

: to put or keep apart : divide
especially : to remove (something, such as a part) by or as if by cutting

intransitive verb

: to become separated

Synonyms of sever

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Choose the Right Synonym for sever

separate, part, divide, sever, sunder, divorce mean to become or cause to become disunited or disjointed.

separate may imply any of several causes such as dispersion, removal of one from others, or presence of an intervening thing.

separated her personal life from her career

part implies the separating of things or persons in close union or association.

vowed never to part

divide implies separating into pieces or sections by cutting or breaking.

civil war divided the nation

sever implies violence especially in the removal of a part or member.

a severed limb

sunder suggests violent rending or wrenching apart.

a city sundered by racial conflict

divorce implies separating two things that commonly interact and belong together.

cannot divorce scientific research from moral responsibility

Examples of sever in a Sentence

He severed the lowest tree limbs. His finger was severed in the accident. Activists are asking the government to sever all diplomatic relations with the country.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The move is part of Washington’s bid to sever the trade lifeline that has sustained Tehran’s economy through nearly six months of war. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026 Washington threatens to sever Iran from the global economy and widen sanctions on digital assets, gold, technology, aviation and shipping, measures analysts warn will hit ordinary people harder than the state. — David Rising, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026 The subpoenas issued by James are the first step in forcing Nassau and the others to sever ties with ICE. — Marcia Kramer, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026 Trump has all but severed America’s system of alliances, mocked and bullied Ukraine’s president, and showered praise upon Kim Jong Un. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sever

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French severer, from Latin separare — more at separate

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of sever was in the 14th century

Rhymes for sever

See All Rhymes for sever

Browse Nearby Words

seven-year apple
sever
severability
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sever. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

sever

verb
sev·​er ˈsev-ər How to pronounce sever (audio)
severed; severing -(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce sever (audio)
1
: to put or keep apart : divide
especially : to cut off or through
2
: to come or break apart

Legal Definition

sever

transitive verb
sev·​er ˈse-vər How to pronounce sever (audio)
severed; severing
1
: to end (a joint tenancy) by ending one or all of the unities of time, title, possession, or interest (as by conveying one tenant's interest to another party)
2
: to separate (as a contract) into different parts (as independent obligations) in order to treat each separately
3
a
: to try (criminal offenses or defendants) separately in order to avoid prejudice
b
: to split (a criminal trial) into multiple trials in order to avoid prejudice
c
: to try (civil claims or issues pleaded in the same case) separately
severance
ˈse-vrəns, -və-rens How to pronounce sever (audio)
noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All