How to Use sever in a Sentence

sever

verb
  • 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.
  • This isn’t the first time Trump has tried to sever ties with WHO.
    — Maria Cheng, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
  • In 1994, the mainline Churches of Christ severed ties with the group.
    — Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 3 Aug. 2023
  • The train crushed and nearly severed his right foot and his left leg at the knee.
    — Jessica Lussenhop, ProPublica, 19 Dec. 2023
  • Then, as the weather cools, cells at the base of the antlers sever the connection to the skull.
    — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 2 Aug. 2022
  • Aubrey was pulled almost out of the window, and the strap severed her feet.
    — David Chiu, Peoplemag, 26 Dec. 2023
  • The bullet severed his femoral artery, vein, and nerve.
    — Madeline Levine, The Atlantic, 16 Feb. 2020
  • Saldívar then pulled out her gun and shot the singer in the back, severing an artery.
    — Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 17 Feb. 2024
  • But Redfield did not sever his own ties with the group.
    — USA Today, 11 Nov. 2020
  • The union of this slugger and this franchise makes too much sense to sever.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2022
  • At one point, viewers can see where the tail is severed.
    — Marina Watts, Peoplemag, 2 Aug. 2024
  • An uncle is a bond of faith that even time can't sever, a gift to last all of our lives.
    — Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 8 Aug. 2023
  • With the Raiders set to move next season to Las Vegas, the link soon will be severed.
    — Matt Kawahara, SFChronicle.com, 11 Dec. 2019
  • In 1971, Arthur Burns begged Richard Nixon to not sever the dollar’s link to gold.
    — John Tamny, Forbes, 7 May 2023
  • With the kit in hand, use a utility knife to make a straight, clean cut to sever the damaged end of the hose.
    — Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2024
  • The crowd’s gasp as the axe severed his neck was a sound no one ever forgot.
    — Eliga Gould, The Conversation, 3 Sep. 2019
  • Both of her hands were severed from her body and her right leg had been cut off at mid-calf.
    — Christine Pelisek, People.com, 17 Dec. 2024
  • Mitchell then slit the girl’s throat, crushed her head with 20-pound rocks, and severed and buried both victims’ heads and hands.
    — Tribune News Service, al, 25 July 2019
  • The explosion severed fuel and hydraulic lines in the left side of the plane.
    — Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 23 July 2019
  • On Tuesday, the defense asked the court to sever the two new charges and to proceed on the first set of charges in trial.
    — Marianne Garvey, CNN, 15 Oct. 2019
  • Slide the knife under the oyster to sever the muscle from the bottom shell.
    — Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Oct. 2023
  • The trustees will vote on May 10 on how many full-time faculty to sever.
    — Nanette Asimov, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Apr. 2021
  • Both of her hands had been severed from her body and one of her legs was cut off, the document said.
    — Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 17 Dec. 2024
  • The council will still need to vote to remove the HRC from the city code to completely sever ties.
    — Tim Harlow, Star Tribune, 3 Mar. 2021
  • Down once and for all, severing the Mind Flayer from our world and killing its monstrous weapon in the process.
    — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, 5 July 2019
  • One stab wound to the left arm severed an artery, the prosecutor said.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Aug. 2019
  • And these interactions seem to always end in conflict, tension, and even severed ties.
    — Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 7 July 2025
  • Martinez Estrella plunged a large knife into Junior’s throat, severing his jugular vein.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 29 June 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sever.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: