guillotine

verb

Definition of guillotinenext
as in to head
to cut off the head of French Revolutionary forces captured and guillotined countless aristocrats in the chaotic period following the downfall of the monarchy

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for guillotine
  1. head
  2. behead
Verb
  • Defender Josh Yaro put Boise (14-8-7) on the board in the 11th minute in front of 7,219 fans, heading home a cross from Barea after a tricky corner kick.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Less than an hour after the first warning that a wildfire was headed for her suburban street, Boulder County resident Tawnya Somauroo's home was in ashes.
    — LINDSAY WHITEHURST, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of head
Verb
  • Among them was a Nipmuc war leader named Matoonas, who was tied to a tree, shot to death, then beheaded.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
  • When their younger son told them Daniel was watching beheading videos online, the Fischers hit their breaking point.
    — Jeff Winter, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of behead
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.

Browse Nearby Words

guilelessness
guillotine
guillotined
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Cite this Entry

“Guillotine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guillotine. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on guillotine

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about guillotine

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