plural guillotines
: a machine with a heavy blade that was used in the past to cut off the heads of people who had been sentenced to death
guillotines; guillotined; guillotining
: to cut off the head of (someone) with a machine that drops a heavy blade on the person's neck : to kill (someone) with a guillotine
—usually used as (be) guillotined
people guillotined during the French Revolution
Cite this Entry
“Guillotine.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/guillotine. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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