as in heading
to cut off the head of
a particularly gruesome series of murders in which the victims were decapitated
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Recent Examples of decapitating
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
Winnecke is accused of killing and decapitating his father.
—Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 19 Aug. 2025
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
Winnecke is accused of killing and decapitating his father.
—Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 19 Aug. 2025
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,
9 Nov. 2025
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With its proximity to the Caribbean Sea, the area is a popular transit hub for cocaine making its way from Colombia to Trinidad and other Caribbean islands before heading to Europe.—
NPR,
NPR,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Cobos-Martinez is accused of beheading Nagamallaiah during a machete attack in Dallas.—
Kate Plummer
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Decapitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decapitating. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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