behead

verb

be·​head bi-ˈhed 

bē-

beheaded; beheading; beheads

transitive verb

: to cut off the head of : decapitate

Synonyms of behead

• head
• decapitate

Examples of behead in a Sentence

Louis XVI was beheaded in 1793.

Mary, Queen of Scots, was beheaded for plotting against Queen Elizabeth.

Recent Examples on the Web

He is said to have been martyred by flaying and beheading at the command of the Armenian king Astyages after Bartholomew converted the king’s brother. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026

Gonzalez testified that even comments about beheading Black people were intended as jokes. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026

For example, Salvatore Ramos, who in 2022 killed 19 kids and 2 teachers in Uvalde Texas, boasted on line about torturing animals, even going so far as to share videos of himself beheading animals. — Diana Urban, Hartford Courant, 27 Oct. 2026

The man accused of using a sledgehammer to behead a Marine figure on an Iwo Jima monument near Quantico, Virginia, was granted bond Monday morning. — Sophia Compton , Jake Gibson, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026

The Battle of Iwo Jima monument in Quantico, Virginia, has suffered hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage after a man beheaded one of the statues Wednesday evening, police said. — Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026

When the drama’s primary source of tension is what menu to serve a visiting dignitary, there’s no risk of watching a gory beheading with your mom. — Alison Herman, Variety, 22 Oct. 2026

Thousands were murdered, hundreds were kidnapped, innocent civilians were beheaded, and women were raped. — Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026

Among them was a Nipmuc war leader named Matoonas, who was tied to a tree, shot to death, then beheaded. — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for behead

• abed
• ahead
• beachhead
• bedspread
• bedstead
• blackhead
• blockhead
• bloodshed
• bowhead
• breastfed
• bridgehead
• broadhead

Kids Definition

behead

verb

be·​head bi-ˈhed 

: to cut off the head of