as in to head
to cut off the head of a particularly gruesome series of murders in which the victims were decapitated

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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 decapitate With Moscow having its military stretched thin in Ukraine, and Iran’s air defenses laid bare after Israel had decapitated its proxy Hezbollah, both of these regional powers have lost significant leverage. Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025 Earlier this year, authorities in Sinaloa state discovered 20 male bodies with gunshot wounds – including five that were decapitated – on a bridge over a federal highway. Mauricio Torres, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2025 Winnecke is accused of killing and decapitating his father. Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 19 Aug. 2025 The defendants allegedly agreed to commit the homicides for $15,000, and one defendant also offered to decapitate the victims and return their heads to the undercover agents for an additional $5,000. Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 18 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for decapitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decapitate
Verb
  • Quite a few designs featured striking swirls, which Daveed says speak to the ways that many Haitian immigrants must travel when heading into the United States for a better life.
    Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 12 Sep. 2025
  • In approximately 14 months, voters will once again head to the polls to vote.
    Kimberly Ross, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • According to psychiatrist interviews conducted with his younger sister, Allyn, Kemper cut the hands off of her doll, beheaded and dismembered the family cat, and fantasized about executions and gas chambers.
    Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
  • France returned three human skulls to Madagascar, including one believed to be that of a king beheaded by French colonial forces during a 19th century massacre.
    Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Decapitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decapitate. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.

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