seversev‧er /ˈsevə $ -ər/ ●○○ verb formal 
Martin’s hand was severed in the accident. a severed rope2[transitive] to end a relationship with someone, or a connection with something, especially because of a disagreement SYN break offsever ties/relations/connections/links etc (with/between somebody) The two countries severed diplomatic relations. She had severed all contact with her ex-husband.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say cut off rather than sever:· The end of his finger had been cut off.· The children's father had cut off all contact with them.
WORD ORIGINsever
Origin:
1300-1400 Old French severer, from Latin separare; ➔ SEPARATE2VERB TABLE
sever
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | sever |
| he, she, it | severs | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | severed |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have severed |
| he, she, it | has severed | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had severed |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will sever |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have severed |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am severing |
| he, she, it | is severing | |
| you, we, they | are severing | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was severing |
| you, we, they | were severing | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been severing |
| he, she, it | has been severing | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been severing |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be severing |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been severing |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Britain immediately severed relations with the three countries involved.
- Doctors worked to reattach his severed finger.
- High winds severed power lines in many areas last night.
- Since the job required that he be politically neutral, he had to sever his links with the Socialist Party.
- A local news agency said gangs paraded several severed heads around the town.
- Apparently forensic want to argue that the head was severed from the body after death.
- Both his legs were severed completely, the right one mid-thigh, the left up at the hip.
- By this time it was severed just around the corner from Staveley Town South Junction.
- Flesheating monsters and severed body parts dance through the pages as though daring the reader to read on.
- The price of such knowledge was scars, severed fingers, and burns.
- The ruling Kuomintang is desperately in need of reform, including rooting out blatant corruption and severing gangland ties.
Longman Language Activatorto remove something by cutting
to cut part of something away from the rest of it: cut off something: · Cut off the stalks of the broccoli.cut something off: · She took the cheese and cut a big piece off.
to cut something off by hitting it hard or cutting it with a sharp tool: chop off something: · Chop off the tops of the carrots.chop something off: · Careful you don't chop your fingers off!
to quickly remove something using scissors: snip something off/snip off something: · Snip the ends of the beans off before you cook them.· After the plant finishes blooming, snip off the dead flowers.
to cut a part of something off, especially a branch of a tree: lop off something/lop something off: · Workmen have lopped off some of the branches in an effort to save the tree.
to cut off someone's arm, leg, or foot as a medical operation: · He damaged his leg so badly that it had to be amputated.
to cut off a part of someone's body in an accident or an attack: · The victim's head had been severed in the accident.
to remove someone's eyes with a pointed weapon or object: gouge somebody's eyes out/gouge out somebody's eyes: · McLaren accused Roberts of trying to gouge his eyes out during the fight.
to deliberately separate yourself from another person, group etc to deliberately separate yourself from a larger group or organization, especially because you no longer want to work with them: · Last year, he split from the rock band, "Hot City'.· The left wing of the party is likely to split from its parent organization.
to deliberately separate yourself from a group of people, usually permanently, because you want to be alone or independent: · She had cut herself off, and when David left her she had no one to turn to.cut yourself off from: · Quite deliberately, she cut herself off from the rest of the family.
to formally and permanently end a relationship with another person, company, country etc: · Throughout the seventies, the government was urged to sever all links with South Africa.· Tobolewski, like many immigrants into America, severed all his ties with his Polish background.
to deliberately separate yourself from a person, organization etc, because you do not want people to think you are connected with it or are responsible for something that they are doing: · The government is seeking to detach itself from the latest financial scandal.· Diplomats saw his resignation as a way of distancing himself from an unpopular government.
to end a relationship · The affair ended after it was made public by the newspapers.· Our relationship just isn't working. I've decided to end it.
to end a relationship or connection with someone, especially an official one: · The Senator has been urged to break off all links with arms companies.· In the wake of the bombing, the UK is threatening to break off diplomatic relations.· His girlfriend has just told him that she wants to break off their engagement.
formal: sever ties/links/relations etc to completely end your relationship or connection with someone or something: · Since the job required that he be politically neutral, he had to sever his links with the Socialist Party.· Britain immediately severed relations with the three countries involved.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY The two countries severed diplomatic relations. She had severed all contact with her ex-husband.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1[intransitive, transitive] to cut through something completely, separating it into two parts, or to become cut in this way SYN cut off: The two countries severed diplomatic relations. She had severed all contact with her ex-husband. (=break it)· We cannot sever our connection with the past.
(=refuse to have any contact with someone)· After the divorce, she severed all contact with her husband.
· He said that he planned to sever his ties with the club.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· Meanwhile the Goldsmiths were taking steps finally to sever their connection with the School.· People like him have severed all connection with the old rules.· He had long ago severed the connection between the door and the interior courtesy light.· It was as if the lithium severed that connection, or clouded it so much as to basically make it ineffective.
· The rest of them felt his wife tried to sever all connections.· People like me and the Ketterings have severed all connections.
· A local news agency said gangs paraded several severed heads around the town.· A solid shot coming through the bow struck a gunner on the neck, completely severing head from body.· Grasping the sword he swung and, with one blow, severed her head.· They slew the gentle musician, tearing him limb from limb, and flung the severed head into the swift river Hebrus.· Earl Seiguard, following tradition, severed the head, tied the bloody object to his saddle, and leapt aboard.· After execution he carried his severed head to the site of the present basilica of St Denis.· The engine passed over her, the wheels severing her head from her body.· The novice promised the old master a fantastic tale about a severed head that talks.
· The Consolidated Capital Fund would sever the link between finance and accounting.· The girls who join know that they are expected to sever their links with family and loved ones.· However, I know I myself don't want to sever my links with the past.· To cross them was to break tradition, to sever one's links and become an outsider.· Hundreds of members of the 100,000-strong party backed Mr Alton and threatened to sever their links with the party.· Its values now those of a specialist activity, design severs the communicative link which formerly bound it to society.· Often this was easier after they had severed their links with the movement.· The answer must be that it could not since the fact of adopting depreciation accounting severs the link with finance.
· However, I know I myself don't want to sever my links with the past.· The girls who join know that they are expected to sever their links with family and loved ones.· To cross them was to break tradition, to sever one's links and become an outsider.· Hundreds of members of the 100,000-strong party backed Mr Alton and threatened to sever their links with the party.· A part of her didn't want to; in some strange way it meant severing her links with Chris.· Often this was easier after they had severed their links with the movement.· If he did not, said Mr Deerey, he would move to sever all links between Chalmers and the party.· Two years before the refinery became operational, however, Montevideo severed all links with Moscow.
· Emily had taken her revenge swiftly, severing the ties that had long been between the Grenfells and the Morgans.· Some 35 members voted to sever ties with the churches.· Though geographical mobility is possible, to move means severing all the social ties which the miner has built up.· The spokesman said no one called the Kings on Wednesday morning to sever ties with the team.· You certainly appear to have reached a major turning point in your career and must now think about severing unprofitable ties.· They planned to start by severing ties with the thrift industry.· For what better way to sever an unwanted tie than by disappearing off on business for a couple of weeks?· Louis Blues, they severed all ties with popular culture.
Martin’s hand was severed in the accident. a severed rope2[transitive] to end a relationship with someone, or a connection with something, especially because of a disagreement SYN break offsever ties/relations/connections/links etc (with/between somebody) The two countries severed diplomatic relations. She had severed all contact with her ex-husband.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say cut off rather than sever:· The end of his finger had been cut off.· The children's father had cut off all contact with them.