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

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 decapitate But when the staffer returned 15 minutes later, according to Campbell, the carcass had been decapitated. Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 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 Her only ally is a mystical axe whose victims wind up as decapitated, talking heads. Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025 Seventy Christians were allegedly decapitated by Islamist extremists in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) just over a week ago, but the group accused of carrying out the massacre has been terrorizing communities for over a decade. Matt Robison, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for decapitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decapitate
Verb
  • The Dow is heading for its worst April since 1932, according to Dow Jones Market Data, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
    Susan Tompor, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Now, the bill heads to Trump’s desk where he’s expected to sign it into law.
    Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 29 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Three men who supported the Islamic State group were convicted of beheading the victims and sentenced to death—the first such penalty in Morocco since 1993.
    Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
  • The father was beheaded by the militants, according to OD field contacts.
    Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Decapitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decapitate. Accessed 6 May. 2025.

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