To amputate someone's arm or leg means to cut all or part of it off in an operation because it is diseased or badly damaged. To save his life, doctors amputated his legs He had to have one leg amputated above the knee. + amputation amputations am·pu·ta·tion He lived only hours after the amputation. to cut off someone's arm, leg, finger etc during a medical operation (past participle of amputare, from amb- + putare )