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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of behead
And while Saddam's regime was quickly beheaded, the region has had two decades of chaos and conflict since then.
—
Susan Page, USA Today, 19 June 2025
After only five minutes of exposure to the parasite, 22.4% of sperm cells were beheaded.
—Bill Sullivan, The Conversation, 28 May 2025
The 28 statues of saints were beheaded, mistaken for French kings, and some of the bells were removed and melted down.
1804: Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself emperor of France with the pope in attendance in Notre-Dame, and portions of the cathedral were restored.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 21 May 2025
The lamplight of Louisville, seen from the river, became a chain of beacon fires bringing news from Old Europe, where King Louis XVI, who gave the city its name, would be beheaded.
—Jonathon Sturgeon, Harpers Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025
The group beheaded Palmyra's head of antiquities, Khaled al-Assad, and then systematically blew up several of the ancient city's most important monuments.
—Jane Arraf, NPR, 17 Apr. 2025
But would you rather be blasted by tiny pieces — which really hurts — or beheaded or stabbed in the heart by a large shard with tape dangling off of it?
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 28 May 2025
Men on electric scooters zoomed past a square where prisoners used to be beheaded, now a few blocks away from a gleaming new metro station.
—Vivian Nereim, New York Times, 16 May 2025
The Scholl siblings, their friends and their professor were beheaded for urging students at the University of Munich to oppose the Nazi regime.
—Peter Nguyen, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2025
Susan Page, USA Today, 19 June 2025
After only five minutes of exposure to the parasite, 22.4% of sperm cells were beheaded.
—Bill Sullivan, The Conversation, 28 May 2025
The 28 statues of saints were beheaded, mistaken for French kings, and some of the bells were removed and melted down.
1804: Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself emperor of France with the pope in attendance in Notre-Dame, and portions of the cathedral were restored.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 21 May 2025
The lamplight of Louisville, seen from the river, became a chain of beacon fires bringing news from Old Europe, where King Louis XVI, who gave the city its name, would be beheaded.
—Jonathon Sturgeon, Harpers Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025
The group beheaded Palmyra's head of antiquities, Khaled al-Assad, and then systematically blew up several of the ancient city's most important monuments.
—Jane Arraf, NPR, 17 Apr. 2025
But would you rather be blasted by tiny pieces — which really hurts — or beheaded or stabbed in the heart by a large shard with tape dangling off of it?
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 28 May 2025
Men on electric scooters zoomed past a square where prisoners used to be beheaded, now a few blocks away from a gleaming new metro station.
—Vivian Nereim, New York Times, 16 May 2025
The Scholl siblings, their friends and their professor were beheaded for urging students at the University of Munich to oppose the Nazi regime.
—Peter Nguyen, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for behead
Verb
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But with Wintour having announced the creation of a new position to head editorial at U.S. Vogue, , curiosity is growing over what's next for the esteemed fashion magazine and who will be chosen to lead the glossy after almost four decades of Wintour shaping its vision.—
A Martínez,
NPR,
27 June 2025
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Later this year, she’s set to embark on the Ultrasound World Tour, beginning in September in Austin, Texas and heading across Europe before concluding in Brooklyn, N.Y.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
27 June 2025
Verb
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And Obama wanted to convey the risks of both a nuclear-armed free agent and a country decapitated without a clear next step.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
19 June 2025
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His body was found decapitated Oct. 11 on the 2300 block of Clay Street with his arms and knees bound with black tape.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Behead.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/behead. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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