amputate

Definition of amputatenext
as in to sever
medical to remove (part of a person's body) His arm was badly injured and had to be amputated.

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of amputate In 2008 she was diagnosed with brain cancer, and her left leg was later amputated. Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Aug. 2026 Kloots documented his entire stay on social media, even as Cordero had his leg amputated because of blood clots. Shelby Stivale, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Aug. 2026 Burke allegedly amputated two of Hernandez’s fingers after dismembering her body with a chainsaw to cover up evidence of the tattoo linking the two. Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026 Matt Miller, the ESPN NFL Draft analyst who shared last month on social media that his left arm was amputated following an automobile accident in southern Missouri, reportedly is being investigated by the state attorney general. Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for amputate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for amputate
Verb
  • 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
  • According to court documents in Alaska, the biological parents sought an order in California establishing them as the baby’s parents after West severed contact with them in May.
    Doha Madani, NBC news, 20 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Participants will yank invasive plants to help restore the canyon.
    Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • In Berkeley, where California clay culture yanked ceramics out of the category of polite craft and into something huge, physical, ugly, and beautiful, Heilmann learned to weld.
    Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 18 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Amputate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/amputate. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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