How to Use severe in a Sentence

severe

adjective
  • 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.
  • More severe weather is in store for this week in the Heartland and the Deep South.
    Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 28 Feb. 2023
  • The main severe weather threat will arrive in the evening.
    Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2024
  • 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
  • The effect is more severe than on the days affected by the RMT’s strikes.
    Time, 5 Jan. 2023
  • Still, for those put out of work by a downturn, the effects would be severe.
    Max Zahn, ABC News, 21 Dec. 2022
  • For those who miss court and don’t pay, the consequences can be severe.
    Samantha Sunne, ProPublica, 16 Nov. 2023
  • The most severe fires are ones that include both the forest and buildings.
    Louis Gritzo, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
  • This hike will go off, rain or shine, but will be canceled in the event of severe weather.
    Indianapolis Star, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Aug. 2024
  • At the same time, the agency is facing a severe budget gap in the coming years.
    Julie Bosman, New York Times, 22 May 2024
  • 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
  • Stronger and more severe storms will be near or south of the Kankakee River on Monday.
    Richard Requena, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2023
  • Whether one calls the war in Gaza a genocide or a series of severe violations of the laws of war, the killing needs to stop now.
    William Hartung, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
  • The severe weather risk has been dropped for much of south Alabama.
    Leigh Morgan, al, 3 Mar. 2023
  • Through Tonight: Showers may persist for a time this evening, but the severe weather threat is over.
    Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2023
  • The threat for severe weather is expected to lessen some as the storms move eastward overnight.
    Leigh Morgan, al, 8 Feb. 2023
  • Increasing clouds and mild with a 60% chance of showers or storms later in the day, some severe.
    Kxas-Tv (nbc5), Dallas News, 27 Apr. 2023
  • The bites don't usually hurt, but can look like hives, or in some cases, cause severe swelling.
    Women's Health, 1 May 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
  • In some areas, the drought is so severe that a state of emergency and other alerts are in effect.
    Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2024
  • Their efforts don’t stop with turkey: Since Saturday, the team has been on the ground in Newland, one of the towns that faced the most severe storm damage, delivering necessities like warm winter clothes, toiletries and goodies for kids.
    Scottie Andrew, CNN, 30 Nov. 2024
  • As the expert later explains in a press conference, the brain damage to Aaron’s frontal lobes was severe, almost certainly affecting his decision-making and impulse control in recent years especially.
    Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 12 Nov. 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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