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 Golden stabbed Sidney once in the thigh, severing his femoral artery. — Marissa Perlman, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026 With the fighting have come border closures, severing a critical trade route and preventing Afghan producers from reaching what is the primary export market for many goods. — Abdul Qahar Afghan, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026 During one of the more graphic sequences, It4mi swings a blade at the woman, severing her arm and sending blood across the frame. — Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for severing
  1. separating
  2. dividing
  3. splitting
  4. disconnecting
Verb
  • Set within its own natural lagoon on the southernmost tip of the Raa Atoll, the ocean stretches out as far as the eye can see, with hardly a blip separating sea, horizon, and sky.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026
  • A couple years before that, the state began disaggregating data on Asian and Pacific Islanders, by separating Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander groups.
    — Sharon Udasin, Sun Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of separating
Verb
  • With popularity dating back to the 1950s, open-concept layouts are floor plans that intentionally don’t have any dividing walls between rooms to create one large space.
    — Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The case has become a national cultural fixation and a social media spectacle, gripping and dividing spectators well beyond the Massachusetts courtroom where the 36-year-old mother is charged with killing her three young children.
    — Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of dividing
Verb
  • Here's why the attorney general race is splitting longtime Republicans known for their legal authority in the state.
    — Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Cook in 20-second increments to prevent the kernels from splitting open.
    — Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of splitting
Verb
  • Save your receipt and take screenshots of anything unusual before disconnecting the device.
    — Jesse Watson , Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026
  • And so, for instance, there’s surveys showing that Gen Z are the generation most likely to report disconnecting from their digital devices.
    — Jinae West, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of disconnecting

Browse Nearby Words

severeness
severing
severity
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Severing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/severing. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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