as in to head
to cut off the head of
Mary, Queen of Scots, was beheaded for plotting against Queen Elizabeth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of behead
But would you rather be blasted by tiny pieces — which really hurts — or beheaded or stabbed in the heart by a large shard with tape dangling off of it?
—
Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 28 May 2025
Men on electric scooters zoomed past a square where prisoners used to be beheaded, now a few blocks away from a gleaming new metro station.
—Vivian Nereim, New York Times, 16 May 2025
The Scholl siblings, their friends and their professor were beheaded for urging students at the University of Munich to oppose the Nazi regime.
—Peter Nguyen, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2025
But recently in the DRC, where 95% of the population are Christian, no one stopped Islamist rebels from forcing 70 Christians into a church where they were butchered, beheaded with machetes.
—Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2025
As the emboldened queen is beheaded, King Henry is seen preparing to wed his third wife, the pious and soft-spoken Jane Seymour (Kate Phillips).
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 23 Mar. 2025
Dugin claims to be descended from a radical priest who was beheaded by the state, and the proof of it may be in his fearlessly splenetic Limonka columns.
—James Verini, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2025
Three men who supported the Islamic State group were convicted of beheading the victims and sentenced to death—the first such penalty in Morocco since 1993.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
The father was beheaded by the militants, according to OD field contacts.
—Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2025
Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 28 May 2025
Men on electric scooters zoomed past a square where prisoners used to be beheaded, now a few blocks away from a gleaming new metro station.
—Vivian Nereim, New York Times, 16 May 2025
The Scholl siblings, their friends and their professor were beheaded for urging students at the University of Munich to oppose the Nazi regime.
—Peter Nguyen, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2025
But recently in the DRC, where 95% of the population are Christian, no one stopped Islamist rebels from forcing 70 Christians into a church where they were butchered, beheaded with machetes.
—Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2025
As the emboldened queen is beheaded, King Henry is seen preparing to wed his third wife, the pious and soft-spoken Jane Seymour (Kate Phillips).
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 23 Mar. 2025
Dugin claims to be descended from a radical priest who was beheaded by the state, and the proof of it may be in his fearlessly splenetic Limonka columns.
—James Verini, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2025
Three men who supported the Islamic State group were convicted of beheading the victims and sentenced to death—the first such penalty in Morocco since 1993.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
The father was beheaded by the militants, according to OD field contacts.
—Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for behead
Verb
-
Brown will be able to head out on his Breezy Bowl tour, according to the conditions of his bail.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
23 May 2025
-
Rubber outsoles provide traction for tearing up the dance floor at a wedding or heading out for a day of seeing tourist attractions, and lightly padded insoles cushion your feet with every step.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
Some victims were mutilated, and many were decapitated.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
-
While this was a funeral rite for some in the Roman period, the researchers think the man was decapitated as a mercy killing after the lion bite.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Behead.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/behead. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share