as in headed
to cut off the head of
a particularly gruesome series of murders in which the victims were decapitated
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of decapitated
That’s not the first time a team mascot has been decapitated.
—
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
Perhaps Clemson feared he'd get decapitated by Whit Weeks and Harold Perkins Jr.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Snails with eyes that grow back It's been known since at least the 18th century that some snails possess regenerative abilities, such as garden snails regrowing their heads after being decapitated.
—ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2025
They, too, were shot, killed, dismembered and decapitated.
—Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
With Moscow having its military stretched thin in Ukraine, and Iran’s air defenses laid bare after Israel had decapitated its proxy Hezbollah, both of these regional powers have lost significant leverage.
—Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Earlier this year, authorities in Sinaloa state discovered 20 male bodies with gunshot wounds – including five that were decapitated – on a bridge over a federal highway.
—Mauricio Torres, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2025
Doctors in China pulled off a medical miracle, saving a patient who was nearly decapitated by a robotic arm.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2025
Later that day, a park staff member discovered someone had decapitated the deceased sea lion, NOAA wrote in a news release posted Tuesday.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
Perhaps Clemson feared he'd get decapitated by Whit Weeks and Harold Perkins Jr.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Snails with eyes that grow back It's been known since at least the 18th century that some snails possess regenerative abilities, such as garden snails regrowing their heads after being decapitated.
—ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2025
They, too, were shot, killed, dismembered and decapitated.
—Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
With Moscow having its military stretched thin in Ukraine, and Iran’s air defenses laid bare after Israel had decapitated its proxy Hezbollah, both of these regional powers have lost significant leverage.
—Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Earlier this year, authorities in Sinaloa state discovered 20 male bodies with gunshot wounds – including five that were decapitated – on a bridge over a federal highway.
—Mauricio Torres, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2025
Doctors in China pulled off a medical miracle, saving a patient who was nearly decapitated by a robotic arm.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2025
Later that day, a park staff member discovered someone had decapitated the deceased sea lion, NOAA wrote in a news release posted Tuesday.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decapitated
Verb
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Three weeks into the occupation, the Bundys and Finicum headed to John Day, Oregon, to meet with Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Sep. 2025
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Mark-Paul Gosselaar portrayed Peter Bash, the more grounded and level-headed half of the Franklin & Bash duo.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Decapitated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decapitated. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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