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
According to psychiatrist interviews conducted with his younger sister, Allyn, Kemper cut the hands off of her doll, beheaded and dismembered the family cat, and fantasized about executions and gas chambers.
—
Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
France returned three human skulls to Madagascar, including one believed to be that of a king beheaded by French colonial forces during a 19th century massacre.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2025
France has returned three skulls to Madagascar more than a century after they were taken, including one believed to be that of a 19th-century Malagasy king who was beheaded by French troops.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2025
Less than four months later, Anne Boleyn was beheaded.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
All of the workers who are playing the elves have either been killed in horrible ways or beheaded, and their heads are used as tree toppers, and their intestines are strung on the Christmas trees.
—Simon Thompson, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Papa Grant has his bladier searched, beaten and ultimately beheaded for the betrayal.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 8 Aug. 2025
The jihadist groups have been accused of beheading villagers and kidnapping children to be used as laborers or child soldiers.
—Danielle Wallace, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2025
The panel depicts two moments in the life of St. Denis—his final communion in prison and his martyrdom by beheading—unfolding underneath a gaudy crucifixion beaming with seraphim.
—Jon Raymond
august 5, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
France returned three human skulls to Madagascar, including one believed to be that of a king beheaded by French colonial forces during a 19th century massacre.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2025
France has returned three skulls to Madagascar more than a century after they were taken, including one believed to be that of a 19th-century Malagasy king who was beheaded by French troops.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2025
Less than four months later, Anne Boleyn was beheaded.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
All of the workers who are playing the elves have either been killed in horrible ways or beheaded, and their heads are used as tree toppers, and their intestines are strung on the Christmas trees.
—Simon Thompson, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Papa Grant has his bladier searched, beaten and ultimately beheaded for the betrayal.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 8 Aug. 2025
The jihadist groups have been accused of beheading villagers and kidnapping children to be used as laborers or child soldiers.
—Danielle Wallace, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2025
The panel depicts two moments in the life of St. Denis—his final communion in prison and his martyrdom by beheading—unfolding underneath a gaudy crucifixion beaming with seraphim.
—Jon Raymond
august 5, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for behead
Verb
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Quite a few designs featured striking swirls, which Daveed says speak to the ways that many Haitian immigrants must travel when heading into the United States for a better life.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
12 Sep. 2025
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In approximately 14 months, voters will once again head to the polls to vote.—
Kimberly Ross,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That’s not the first time a team mascot has been decapitated.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
3 Sep. 2025
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Perhaps Clemson feared he'd get decapitated by Whit Weeks and Harold Perkins Jr.—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Behead.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/behead. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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