as in to head
to cut off the head of
Mary, Queen of Scots, was beheaded for plotting against Queen Elizabeth
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Recent Examples of behead
Cobos-Martinez is accused of beheading Nagamallaiah during a machete attack in Dallas.
—
Kate Plummer
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
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
Journalist Daniel Pearl getting beheaded in 2002.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025
The man accused of beheading his boss at a Dallas motel with a machete on Wednesday is a Cuban national who is in the United States illegally, authorities say.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 2025
Nagamallaiah was beheaded in the attack, according to the arrest affidavit, CBS 19 reports.
—Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
According to psychiatrist interviews conducted with his younger sister, Allyn, Kemper cut the hands off of her doll, beheaded and dismembered the family cat, and fantasized about executions and gas chambers.
—Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Less than four months later, Anne Boleyn was beheaded.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
All of the workers who are playing the elves have either been killed in horrible ways or beheaded, and their heads are used as tree toppers, and their intestines are strung on the Christmas trees.
—Simon Thompson, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Kate Plummer
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
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
Journalist Daniel Pearl getting beheaded in 2002.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025
The man accused of beheading his boss at a Dallas motel with a machete on Wednesday is a Cuban national who is in the United States illegally, authorities say.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 2025
Nagamallaiah was beheaded in the attack, according to the arrest affidavit, CBS 19 reports.
—Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
According to psychiatrist interviews conducted with his younger sister, Allyn, Kemper cut the hands off of her doll, beheaded and dismembered the family cat, and fantasized about executions and gas chambers.
—Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Less than four months later, Anne Boleyn was beheaded.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
All of the workers who are playing the elves have either been killed in horrible ways or beheaded, and their heads are used as tree toppers, and their intestines are strung on the Christmas trees.
—Simon Thompson, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for behead
Verb
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The schools that win will signal where education is heading — and where the opportunities lie.—
Jaime Catmull,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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For more on the Las Vegas Raiders and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That’s not the first time a team mascot has been decapitated.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
3 Sep. 2025
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Perhaps Clemson feared he'd get decapitated by Whit Weeks and Harold Perkins Jr.—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Behead.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/behead. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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