as in to head
to cut off the head of
Mary, Queen of Scots, was beheaded for plotting against Queen Elizabeth
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Recent Examples of behead
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for behead
Verb
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The group headed to Loyola University’s aquatic center, where they were joined by one of Phelps’ sons, Beckett, along with children from the Boys & Girls Club of Metropolitan Baltimore learning to swim.—
Sophie Kaufman,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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The National Capitol Region and regions three, four, six and nine are typically headed by career emergency management officials, who stay in place no matter which party controls the White House, to ensure a continuity of operations.—
Emily Goodin,
Miami Herald,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Becoming battle-tested sharpened their combat abilities; Pusha T learned how to skillfully decapitate rappers, while Malice’s God-fearing ways served as his sole compass in the fog of war.—
Carl Lamarre,
Billboard,
21 July 2025
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President Donald Trump speaks from the East Room of the White House in Washington, Saturday, June 21, 2025, after the U.S. military struck three Iranian nuclear and military sites, directly joining Israel's effort to decapitate...—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Behead.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/behead. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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