severance

Language: en

🇺🇸 /ˈsɛˌvɜrəns/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    The act of severing or the state of being severed; a breaking off or separation.; A payment made to an employee upon termination of employment, especially as part of a redundancy or layoff arrangement.; In law, the separation of a joint estate into individual portions, or the division of a joint tenancy into a tenancy in common.; In law, the separation of one or more claims or charges from others so that they may be tried separately.; In mining and resource extraction, a tax or fee levied on the removal of natural resources from the earth.; The act of cutting off or detaching a part from a whole, especially a limb or body part.; A thing that severs or causes separation; a point or means of division.

🔗 Details

Word forms

uncountable

Collocations

severance payseverance packageseverance agreementseverance taxseverance of ties

Derivatives

severseverableseverallyseveral

Synonyms

separationdisconnectiondivisionpartingterminationrupture

Antonyms

connectionunionjoining

Commonly confused

several
EN: 'Several' means 'more than two but not many' and has diverged significantly in meaning from 'severance,' though they share an etymological root.
sever
EN: 'Sever' is the verb meaning to cut off or separate; 'severance' is the noun form referring to the act or result of severing.

Spelling tips

EN: Do not confuse 'severance' with 'several'; although they share a Latin root (separare), their modern meanings are entirely different.

💬 Examples

  1. The severance of diplomatic relations between the two countries came as a surprise.

  2. She received a generous severance package after being laid off from the company.

  3. The severance of the joint tenancy was effected by one party transferring their share to a third party.

  4. The defense attorney filed a motion for severance of the charges against his client.

  5. The state imposes a severance tax on oil and gas production.

  6. The severance of his finger was the result of a workplace accident.

  7. The river acted as a natural severance between the two territories.