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
At trial, a jury found the parents guilty of stabbing and decapitating the children.
—
Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Alyssa Lira Orange County District Attorney's Office Lira is accused of killing and decapitating Enrique Gonzalez-Carbajal, her boyfriend of two months, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
—Julie Sharp, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
The problem is that the effort has succeeded only in decapitating the Maduro government and instilling fear among Venezuelans of future instability.
—Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
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
Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Alyssa Lira Orange County District Attorney's Office Lira is accused of killing and decapitating Enrique Gonzalez-Carbajal, her boyfriend of two months, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
—Julie Sharp, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
The problem is that the effort has succeeded only in decapitating the Maduro government and instilling fear among Venezuelans of future instability.
—Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decapitating
Verb
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Trump and his Cabinet members are taking a tighter focus on domestic issues -- and domestic travel -- heading into the November midterm elections, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said last month.—
MICHELLE L. PRICE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
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The Florida Panthers spent a few minutes prior to their home game Wednesday recognizing members of the organization who will be heading to Italy next week for the 2026 Winter Olympics.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 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 15 Feb. 2026.
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