How to Use severe in a Sentence

severe

adjective
Definition of severenext
Synonyms for severenext
  • The storm caused severe damage to the roof.
  • The patient is in severe pain.
  • The war was a severe test of his leadership.
  • In the most severe cases, the disease can lead to blindness.
  • He faces severe penalties for his actions.
  • He suffered a severe head injury.
  • He was left with a brain injury that caused severe headaches.
    — Niela Orr, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2023
  • Contributing to the squeeze was a severe shortage of homes for sale.
    — Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 20 Dec. 2023
  • Deputies and paramedics tried to save him, but his injuries were too severe, Drake said.
    — David Hernandez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Nov. 2023
  • For those who miss court and don’t pay, the consequences can be severe.
    — Samantha Sunne, ProPublica, 16 Nov. 2023
  • In the southwestern parts of the state, there’s a higher chance of severe weather, according to the NWS.
    — Journal Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2024
  • Police said the driver stopped and tried to help Landon but the injuries were too severe.
    — Francisco Guzman, USA TODAY, 9 Aug. 2023
  • In November 2022 Leno suffered severe burns to his face and neck after a fire in his garage.
    — Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 9 June 2023
  • If the collision is severe enough, air bags might deploy, too.
    — WIRED, 19 Nov. 2023
  • And yet make no mistake: America is still in the midst of a severe childcare crisis.
    — TIME, 24 Oct. 2023
  • However, severe drought and extreme heat in 2023 made the ground too dry for crawfish to burrow and lay eggs.
    — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2024
  • Though rare, the antacid can cause a severe allergic reaction in some users.
    — Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 3 Sep. 2023
  • The impact was so severe that one passenger claimed his shirt was ripped off from the sudden pressure in the cabin.
    — Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024
  • The cats, now safe in Kyiv, still show signs of severe stress — including excessive pacing.
    — Kostiantyn Khudov, Washington Post, 11 Jan. 2024
  • About 1 in 20 people who get sick with dengue experience a severe case.
    — Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 12 June 2023
  • What is clear is that this is India’s most severe rail accident since two trains collided near Agra in 1995.
    — Sushmita Pathak, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 June 2023
  • At least four tornadoes touched down in southern New England on Friday as the summer of heavy rain and severe weather rolls on.
    — Christina Prignano, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2023
  • The Supreme Court then dealt a severe blow to Smith’s plans for a spring trial by agreeing to take up a question of presidential immunity at the end of April.
    — Sarah D. Wire, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
  • The mass dolphin deaths come as the water temperatures have surpassed a record-breaking 102 Fahrenheit in the region amid a severe drought.
    — Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 2 Oct. 2023
  • Their giddiness was tempered when the avalanche of users triggered roughly a dozen severe technical glitches on the first day.
    — Will Oremus, Washington Post, 29 July 2023
  • These blockages reduce the oxygen supply to tissues, which can cause periods of severe pain, known as pain crises.
    — Nature Magazine, Scientific American, 16 Nov. 2023
  • The trees have suffered at least a 70% increase in mortality over the last decade due to severe drought and bark beetle infestations.
    — Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2023
  • Adding insult to injury for Ferrari, the damage to Sainz’s car is so severe, the power unit needs to be replaced, which runs afoul of race regulations.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 17 Nov. 2023
  • Older adults over the age of 60 are also eligible for an RSV vaccine to protect against severe illness and death.
    — Youri Benadjaoud, ABC News, 30 Nov. 2023
  • Mild cases can take a few days, whereas severe cases could take several weeks.
    — Madison Yauger, Health, 10 Mar. 2024

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

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