amputate

verb
am·​pu·​tate | \ ˈam-pyə-ˌtāt How to pronounce amputate (audio) \
amputated; amputating

Definition of amputate

transitive verb

: to remove by or as if by cutting especially : to cut (a part, such as a limb) from the body

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Other Words from amputate

amputation \ ˌam-​pyə-​ˈtā-​shən How to pronounce amputation (audio) \ noun

Examples of amputate in a Sentence

His arm was badly injured and had to be amputated.

Recent Examples on the Web

Norton was no longer in critical condition as of Friday, a day after his early Thursday morning car crash that resulted in his left arm being amputated. Safid Deen, sun-sentinel.com, "Dolphins’ Kendrick Norton upgraded to stable condition after having left arm amputated in car crash," 5 July 2019 Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Kendrick Norton was involved in a serious car accident Thursday morning that resulted in multiple injuries, including his arm being amputated, his agent Malki Kawa said on Twitter. Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY, "Dolphins player Kendrick Norton involved in serious car accident, had arm amputated, agent says," 4 July 2019 The report said Kylei had to have surgery to combat the infection, which saved doctors from having to amputate it as well as saved her life. Richard Tribou, orlandosentinel.com, "Girl, 12, contracts deadly flesh-eating disease after trip to Florida: report," 26 June 2019 His limbs eventually turned black as the tissue died, and one leg even self-amputated when Abigail and a nurse were moving him. Claudia Harmata, PEOPLE.com, "Mother Warns Parents After Her 11-Month-Old Son Lost All of His Limbs from Sepsis Infection," 14 Aug. 2019 Declawing involves amputating a cat’s toes back to the first knuckle. Skyler Swisher, sun-sentinel.com, "Declawing your destructive cat may be outlawed in Florida," 2 Aug. 2019 Declawing, a procedure known as onychectomy, involves amputating the first segment of a cat's toes. Alex Johnson, NBC News, "New York becomes first state to ban declawing of most cats," 24 July 2019 Declawing a cat involves amputating a cat’s toes at the first joint. Washington Post, "State becomes first to ban declawing of cats," 23 July 2019 Many animal advocates call the procedure cruel and unnecessary which Declawing involves amputating the first knuckle of a cat's toes. Vanna Quiroz, CBS News, "New York becomes first state to ban cat declawing," 22 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'amputate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of amputate

1612, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for amputate

Latin amputatus, past participle of amputare, from am-, amb- around + putare to cut, prune — more at ambi-

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More Definitions for amputate

amputate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of amputate

medical : to cut off (part of a person's body)

amputate

verb
am·​pu·​tate | \ ˈam-pyə-ˌtāt How to pronounce amputate (audio) \
amputated; amputating

Kids Definition of amputate

: to cut off (part of a person's body)

amputate

transitive verb
am·​pu·​tate | \ ˈam-pyə-ˌtāt How to pronounce amputate (audio) \
amputated; amputating

Medical Definition of amputate

: to cut (as a limb) from the body

Other Words from amputate

amputation \ ˌam-​pyə-​ˈtā-​shən How to pronounce amputation (audio) \ noun

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