3 N‑PLURAL The seventies is the decade between 1970 and 1979. □ In the late Seventies, things had to be new, modern, revolutionary.
sev|er /se və r / (severs , severing , severed )
1 VERB To sever something means to cut completely through it or to cut it completely off. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] Richardson severed his right foot in a motorbike accident. □ [V -ed] …oil still gushing from a severed fuel line.
2 VERB If you sever a relationship or connection that you have with someone, you end it suddenly and completely. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] She severed her ties with England.
sev|er|al ◆◆◆ /se vrəl/ DET Several is used to refer to an imprecise number of people or things that is not large but is greater than two. □ I had lived two doors away from this family for several years. □ Several blue plastic boxes under the window were filled with record albums. □ Several hundred students gathered on campus. ● QUANT Several is also a quantifier. □ [+ of ] Several of the delays were caused by the new high-tech baggage system. ● PRON Several is also a pronoun. □ No one drug will suit or work for everyone and sometimes several may have to be tried. SYNONYMS several DET
some: He went to fetch some books.
a few: I gave a dinner party for a few close friends.
a handfuclass="underline" One spring morning a handful of potential investors assembled in Quincy.
sev|er|ance /se vərəns/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Severance from a person or group, or the severance of a connection, involves the ending of a relationship or connection. [FORMAL ] □ [+ from ] …his bitter sense of severance from his family. □ [+ of ] …the complete severance of diplomatic relations.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Severance pay is a sum of money that a company gives to its employees when it has to stop employing them. [BUSINESS ] □ We were offered 13 weeks' severance pay.
se|vere ◆◆◇ /s I v I ə r / (severer , severest )
1 ADJ You use severe to indicate that something bad or undesirable is great or intense. □ …a business with severe cash flow problems. □ Steve passed out on the floor and woke up blinded and in severe pain. □ Shortages of professional staff are very severe in some places. ● se|vere|ly ADV [usu ADV with v, oft ADV adj] □ Much of Britain was severely affected by blizzards. □ An aircraft overshot the runway and was severely damaged. ● se|ver|ity /s I ve r I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] Several treatments are used to lessen the severity of the symptoms.
2 ADJ Severe punishments or criticisms are very strong or harsh. □ This was a dreadful crime and a severe sentence is necessary. ● se|vere|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ …a campaign to try to change the law to punish dangerous drivers more severely. ● se|ver|ity N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] The Bishop said he was sickened by the severity of the sentence. SYNONYMS severe ADJ
1
serious: The government still face very serious difficulties.
criticaclass="underline" Its day-to-day finances are in a critical state.
terrible: Tens of thousands of people suffered terrible injuries.
grave: I have grave doubts that the documents tell the whole story.
2
strict: My parents were very strict.
harsh: …the cold, harsh cruelty of her husband.
crueclass="underline" …struggling to survive in a cruel world with which they cannot cope.
sew /soʊ / (sews , sewing , sewed , sewn )
1 VERB When you sew something such as clothes, you make them or repair them by joining pieces of cloth together by passing thread through them with a needle. □ [V n] She sewed the dresses on the sewing machine. □ [V n with on ] Anyone can sew on a button, including you. □ [V ] Mrs Roberts was a dressmaker, and she taught her daughter to sew. [Also V n prep]
2 VERB When something such as a hand or finger is sewn back by a doctor, it is joined with the patient's body using a needle and thread. □ [be V -ed adv] The hand was preserved in ice by neighbours and sewn back on in hospital.
3 → see also sewing
▸ sew up
1 PHRASAL VERB If you sew up pieces of cloth or tears in cloth or skin, you join them together using a needle and thread. □ [V P n] Next day, Miss Stone decided to sew up the rip. [Also V n P ]
2 PHRASAL VERB If someone sews up something such as a business deal, an election, or a game, they make sure that they will get the result they want. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n P ] If they didn't move fast, Johnson could sew this deal up within days. □ [V -ed P ] The Italians think they've got it all sewn up. [Also V P n]
sew|age /suː I dʒ/ N‑UNCOUNT Sewage is waste matter such as faeces or dirty water from homes and factories, which flows away through sewers. □ …the MPs' call for more treatment of raw sewage.
sew|er /suː ə r / (sewers ) N‑COUNT A sewer is a large underground channel that carries waste matter and rain water away, usually to a place where it is treated and made harmless. □ …the city's sewer system. □ …open sewers.
sew|er|age /suː ər I dʒ/ N‑UNCOUNT [usu N n] Sewerage is the system by which waste matter is carried away in sewers and made harmless. □ …without access to any services such as water or sewerage.