severing

verb

present participle of sever
as in separating
to set or force apart disapproving parents who were willing to do anything to sever the young lovers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 severing While severing thread-ectronics will destroy them, eutectogels are stable, soft enough to touch or connect to the human body, and allow transistor repair through the simple application of low heat. — New Atlas, 2 Aug. 2026 Moving Instagram to a bigger screen, then, is usually a route not to normalizing it in that new space but instead to severing ties with it altogether. — Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 2 Aug. 2026 The next afternoon, in Central Park, a 15-year-old boy named Shavod Jones shot McDonald three times, severing his spinal cord and paralyzing him from the neck down. — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 31 July 2026 The ongoing housing crisis, characterized by soaring rents and unattainable mortgages, is profoundly disrupting communities, forcing displacement and severing crucial relationships. — Belonging Forum, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 In late June, Elsadig was sitting at a water truck station when a drone strike hit the area, severing his left leg. — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 20 July 2026 Laurino told us the program hinged on a consent form the mothers were supposed to sign severing all rights to the child. — Bill Whitaker, CBS News, 12 July 2026 The Declaration of Independence was about severing the chains of a British monarchy and creating a government powered by the people with checks and balances. — Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026 After severing the large roots, use a mattock or shovel to loosen soil for easier removal. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 5 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for severing
  1. separating
  2. dividing
  3. splitting
  4. disconnecting
Verb
  • With less than a point separating the top five competitors, the all-around race quickly heated up.
    — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The two spacecraft rode to Mars together, with the lander separating from the orbiter ahead of its landing on the Red Planet.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of separating
Verb
  • Chin-Hong thinks about risk as a continuum, rather than dividing the world into safe and dangerous.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Drew Fisher of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, hit the attenuator dividing Interstate 94 from the Lyndale Avenue exit near Olson Memorial Highway, the Minnesota State Patrol said.
    — WCCO Staff, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of dividing
Verb
  • The new order calls for splitting up combination vaccines, like the one that protects against measles, mumps and rubella, which would be given as three shots instead of one, at three separate office visits.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The order also calls for splitting the combined measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine into separate shots, which would require years of investment.
    — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of splitting
Verb
  • Or have there been unintended consequences from disconnecting from linear cable?
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Try disconnecting your router on a weekend afternoon and play board games with your family.
    — Kara Alaimo, CNN Money, 29 July 2026
Definition of disconnecting

Browse Nearby Words

severeness
severing
severity
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Cite this Entry

“Severing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/severing. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on severing

Nglish: Translation of severing for Spanish Speakers

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