Definition of behead
transitive verb
:to cut off the head of :decapitate
What's Trending Now
More Trending Words
Read the Latest from M-W
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 of behead from the Web
-
The last person executed for witchcraft in Europe has gained a museum in the place where she was beheaded more than two centuries ago, reports Daniel Fahey for Lonely Planet.
-
In Texas, one agent was arrested with his brothers and charged with killing and beheading a man on the orders of the Sinaloa drug cartel.
-
In Texas, one agent was arrested with his brothers and charged with killing and beheading a man on the orders of the Sinaloa drug cartel.
-
There is no account of people’s reactions … except that the two royal astronomers who failed to predict the eclipse were beheaded for their astronomical shortcomings.
-
In 2011, for example, a woman in Saudi Arabia was beheaded for setting her husband on fire and burning him to death.
-
Angry Blues Traveler fans threatened to send members of the Zetas, a Mexican drug cartel, to Rutherford's home and have posted images of him beheaded and lynched.
-
Engel threatens to behead a member of the resistance with an axe.
-
The visceral violence in this opening salvo - soldiers machine-gunning and beheading demonstrators, a warship bombarding a left-leaning publishing house, mobsters hacking activists to death on wide boulevards - continues unabated in the showpiece.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'behead.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of behead
before 12th century
behead Synonyms
BEHEAD Defined for English Language Learners
BEHEAD Defined for Kids
Learn More about behead
-
See words that rhyme with behead Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for behead Spanish Central: Translation of behead Nglish: Translation of behead for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of behead for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up behead? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
