as in separating
to set or force apart
disapproving parents who were willing to do anything to sever the young lovers
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Recent Examples of severing
One of the biggest barriers to drones is electronic warfare, which disables drones by severing their connection with the user.
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Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Dec. 2025
According to the hospital, the heavy equipment tore away large portions of skin from her scalp and neck, completely severing her ear along with the surrounding tissue.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 26 Dec. 2025
On Friday, HandCraftedMarketCLT shared a statement, joining other businesses in severing ties with Sycamore.
—Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 12 Dec. 2025
Prosecutors in Finland accused the crew of a Cook Islands–flagged tanker of dragging an anchor for more than 50 miles and severing infrastructure, though a Finnish court later dismissed the case, ruling national law did not apply.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 1 Dec. 2025
While some parasitic queens in other ant species kill the host queen directly — often by severing limbs or biting the throat — that approach is risky.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
Details of the agreement were not immediately available and will be addressed in January, after procedural questions about severing the defendants’ cases are resolved next week.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 25 Nov. 2025
Schwartz tends to excel when severing up heavy stews of emotion, especially when the feelings involved are figuratively or literally biblical — as with Pippin, Wicked, and Godspell, or, on film, The Prince of Egypt and Hunchback of Notre Dame.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2025
Wilders had presented a 10-point plan focused on immigration and anti-Islam policies, including freezing asylum applications from Muslim-majority countries, leaving the European Union’s free-movement scheme, cutting foreign aid, and severing ties with Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for severing
Verb
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The backpack itself is crafted from a durable, water-resistant, anti-abrasion material, and includes a wet pocket for separating damp items or dirty laundry.—
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This was such a tedious process that Saint Ignatius College Prep had its own recycling club that mainly involved spending Fridays after school sitting on a classroom floor and separating the recyclables the school had generated throughout the week.—
Verb
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The debate within the Democratic coalition is already bigger and louder, dividing moderates in swing states from progressives elated by Mamdani's rocket to victory in the nation's largest city.—
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One was a real human blastocysts, which contain about 100 to 200 rapidly dividing cells.—
Verb
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Decades ago, some wealthier Venezuelans began splitting their time between South Florida and their home country, gradually spending more and more time.—
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After dribbling once with his right hand, Brown unleashed a Eurostep to his left, splitting the two Raptors players.—
Verb
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The dangers of disconnecting Leaving the money to be handled by one spouse leaves your family vulnerable.—
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There’s nothing better than disconnecting from the world—and hopefully, your phone—on a long walk outside.—
Cite this Entry
“Severing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/severing. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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