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.
Cobos-Martinez is accused of beheading Nagamallaiah during a machete attack in Dallas. Kate Plummer shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025 The suspect is accused of attacking and ultimately beheading another man in a violent incident at an area motel Wednesday. Nic F. Anderson, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025 Journalist Daniel Pearl getting beheaded in 2002. James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025 The man accused of beheading his boss at a Dallas motel with a machete on Wednesday is a Cuban national who is in the United States illegally, authorities say. Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 2025 Nagamallaiah was beheaded in the attack, according to the arrest affidavit, CBS 19 reports. Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025 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 Less than four months later, Anne Boleyn was beheaded. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025 All of the workers who are playing the elves have either been killed in horrible ways or beheaded, and their heads are used as tree toppers, and their intestines are strung on the Christmas trees. Simon Thompson, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 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 18 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

behead

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

More from Merriam-Webster on behead

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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