as in heading
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 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
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, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
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
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, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decapitating
Verb
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Wait for 30 minutes after the final lightning or thunder before heading outside again.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
18 June 2026
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Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are heading to Apple TV for a new show, Brothers, which involves no murders and is meant to be rather heartwarming.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Preparing whole fish usually entails deboning, scaling, gutting, and beheading the sea creature, a task for you—or your fishmonger.—
Randi Gollin,
Martha Stewart,
12 Jan. 2026
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On subsequent songs, Ninajirachi sings about the destruction of her innocence through sexting, and the trauma of coming across a beheading video.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
12 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decapitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decapitating. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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