decapitating

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 decapitating After decapitating the body, Kennedy tied the head to the top of the family's minivan with a bungee cord, making for a less-than-pleasant five-hour drive back home to Mount Kisco, New York, according to her recollection. Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 26 May 2026 Trump took hostilities to a new level during his second term, launching strikes on land and at sea and ultimately decapitating the government. Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026 Matt is just another little boy spending his days decapitating daffodils, driven by a prepubescent need to get attention and assert his will. Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026 Seizing the island would deal a major blow to Tehran's economy, undercutting one of its most critical revenue streams and decapitating its key means of waging economic warfare. Chris Boccia, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026 But, thus far, decapitating the regime has succeeded only in replacing one Ayatollah Khamenei with another. Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026 After June 2025, when Israel (for 12 days) and the United States (for one) launched strikes aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear program and decapitating the IRGC leadership, Khamenei curtailed public appearances. Karl Vick, Time, 28 Feb. 2026 This isn’t the first time Mexico has taken a drug lord off the field, only to discover in short time that decapitating a cartel’s leadership doesn’t automatically translate into the organization’s collapse. Daniel Depetris, Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2026 At trial, a jury found the parents guilty of stabbing and decapitating the children. Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decapitating
Verb
  • Accessibility Most guests park in a central lot before heading to their cabins—reducing carbon emissions—but two ADA-compliant cabins come with parking spots.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 July 2026
  • Then Drew Durham says hey after another day of running his custom gear business out of his townhouse behind nearby Piedmont Middle School, before heading back to grab a table with friends on the patio.
    Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 27 July 2026
Verb
  • Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, 37, was arrested in September 2025 in the beheading death of Chandra Nagamallaiah using a machete, Dallas police have said.
    Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026
  • In the scene, massive logs strapped to a moving truck come undone and trigger multiple horrific deaths on a highway, with one log smashing through a state trooper’s car window and beheading him.
    Brian Anthony Hernandez, PEOPLE, 11 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Decapitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decapitating. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on decapitating

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster