Definition of beheadnext
as in to head
to cut off the head of Mary, Queen of Scots, was beheaded for plotting against Queen Elizabeth

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of behead 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 When their younger son told them Daniel was watching beheading videos online, the Fischers hit their breaking point. — Jeff Winter, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026 Images often associated with barbarism on screen, like beheading the dead to memorialize them, are approached with an uncanny gentleness. — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026 Lizzie’s newfound happiness is shattered at the end of the second episode, however, when Abby enters her stepdaughter’s dovecote and beheads every bird inside after growing increasingly annoyed with their cooing during mating season. — Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026 Wildlife experts believe the marine mammal was beheaded post-mortem by someone. — ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026 Gross was suspected of a gruesome murder of Ying Li, an employee at a massage parlor who was beheaded in her Northland apartment. — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2026 In connection with the beheading threat, he was arrested on suspicion of making an interstate threatening communication. — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for behead
head
Verb
  • His coronation signaled where the genre was headed—away from the pleading old-guard types and toward a more fluid, hardcore hip-hop hybrid.
    — Clover Hope, Pitchfork, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Later in the day, Obama is headed to Detroit to campaign with Democrat Senate nominee Abdul el Sayed, who is embroiled in a tight campaign against GOP candidate Mike Rogers.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 24 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Behead.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/behead. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster