behead

verb

be·​head bi-ˈhed How to pronounce behead (audio)
bē-
beheaded; beheading; beheads

transitive verb

: to cut off the head of : 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
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.
Chillingly, they were sometimes made double-sided, for greater efficiency—the better to behead two people at a time. The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 31 July 2025 In February, Newsweek reported on how the ADF is believed to have beheaded 70 Christians in a church in the province of North Kivu. Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 July 2025 Mohn also went to a National Guard training camp after beheading his father in an attempt to mobilize troops against the federal government, the Bucks County's district attorney said. Greg Norman, FOXNews.com, 10 July 2025 The chapel, constructed between 1519 and 1520 under Henry VIII, serves as the final resting place for famous historical figures like Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, Thomas More, John Fisher and Lady Jane Grey, all of whom who were imprisoned and beheaded at the Tower. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 July 2025 The formidable Russell Crowe explained on X that his direct Fraser ancestry traces to Simon, the notorious 11th Lord Fraser of Lovat, whose Scots rebelliousness led to his becoming the last man beheaded on Tower Hill, in 1747. Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025 Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Jhumpa Lahiri, New Yorker, 30 June 2025 After the homicide, Caravaggio fled to Naples, then to Malta, to escape a sentence of death by beheading. Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 10 June 2025 There, inside the building that had until then been considered a sanctuary, they were first tied up, and then all 70 were beheaded, the groups say. Paul Tilsley, Fox News, 22 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of behead was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Behead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behead. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

behead

verb
be·​head bi-ˈhed How to pronounce behead (audio)
: to cut off the head of

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