decapitate
verb
Did you know?
Decapitation is a quick and fairly painless way to go, so it was once considered suitable only for nobles like Sir Walter Raleigh, Mary Queen of Scots, and two of Henry VIII's unfortunate wives. The invention of the guillotine in the 18th century was meant to make execution swifter and more painless than hanging or a badly aimed blow by the executioner's sword.
Examples of decapitate in a Sentence
Maureen Dowd, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Phillips became angry with her arrest and decapitated the resort owner’s cat, then began burning the other guests’ camping equipment, authorities said.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
That Wa elders, once prone to decapitating outsiders on sight, would welcome foreigners into their homes.
—Patrick Winn, Rolling Stone, 13 Apr. 2024
Found not guilty of nearly decapitating ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson with a knife and stabbing Ron Goldman in a 1995 double murder trial that transfixed and split the nation, the former football star moved his daughter and son from Los Angeles to a house in Kendall.
—Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024
The victim had been decapitated, and a machete and a large kitchen knife were found at the scene, according to the complaint.
—Jon Haworth, ABC News, 31 Jan. 2024
Corpses were decapitated and mutilated, among other acts of violence documented by the United Nations.
—Greg Myre, NPR, 6 Apr. 2024
County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced on Friday that a suspect accused of fatally stabbing, decapitating, and dismembering a teenager in the Tonto National Forest last summer has been indicted by a Maricopa County grand jury.
—Madeline Nguyen, The Arizona Republic, 6 Apr. 2024
When the sun and the moon alert Vishnu to this deception, Vishnu decapitates the demon — the head becomes Rahu and the body becomes Ketu.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'decapitate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near decapitate
Cite this Entry
“Decapitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decapitate. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
decapitate
verb
derived from Latin decapitare "to cut off the head of," from de- "from, away" and caput "head" — related to capital
Medical Definition
decapitate
1 of 2 transitive verb
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