as in to head
to cut off the head of a particularly gruesome series of murders in which the victims were decapitated

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of decapitate Hamas, weakened militarily and decapitated by the assassinations of its leaders, faces isolation abroad and a diminished mandate at home. Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025 Worden’s body had been decapitated, gutted and hung by its feet like a deer. Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 11 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 Didn’t Gallieni also allow Captain Girard to massacre the entire village of Ambiky on August 29, 1897, and decapitate King Toera of the Sakalavas, who had put up a great resistance against the French colonial advance? Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for decapitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decapitate
Verb
  • After the death of his addict father, Ethan heads back to see if there’s any money to be made from selling his home, intending to stay, only briefly, with his aunt Sarah, Metcalf’s character, a Brunhilde of the high prairie.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
  • After their dinner at Kkanbu Chicken, the three leaders headed to Nvidia’s GeForce Gamer Festival, where Huang – flanked by Lee and Chung – promised to make a big announcement at the APEC summit on Friday.
    Gawon Bae, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Later, Ciri watches helplessly as Bonhart beheads her.
    JP Mangalindan, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Around the same time, a statue of Columbus in a park bearing his name in Boston was beheaded in the dead of night.
    Peter D'Abrosca, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Decapitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decapitate. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.

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