beheading

present participle of behead
as in heading
to cut off the head of Mary, Queen of Scots, was beheaded for plotting against Queen Elizabeth

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 beheading Cobos-Martinez is accused of beheading Nagamallaiah during a machete attack in Dallas. Kate Plummer shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025 The suspect is accused of attacking and ultimately beheading another man in a violent incident at an area motel Wednesday. Nic F. Anderson, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025 The man accused of beheading his boss at a Dallas motel with a machete on Wednesday is a Cuban national who is in the United States illegally, authorities say. Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beheading
Verb
  • Russian air defense systems destroyed one drone heading for Moscow, the city’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Sunday, according to Reuters.
    Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
  • The Warriors are still thin in the backcourt heading into Friday’s game with De’Anthony Melton (knee) and Moses Moody (calf) still sidelined.
    Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • His lover died in shock and horror that Regis was capable of such violence, and a vampire hunter did the rest of the work by staking, decapitating, and burying him next to Bethané’s corpse.
    Scott Meslow, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Israel, already emerging from a year of history-bending military operations—crippling Hamas in Gaza, decapitating Hezbollah's command structure, and setting back Iran's nuclear program—now stands at the threshold of something larger.
    Eric Cortellessa, Time, 11 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Beheading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beheading. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.

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