behead

verb

be·​head bi-ˈhed How to pronounce behead (audio)
bē-
beheaded; beheading; beheads

transitive verb

: to cut off the head of : decapitate

Examples of behead in a Sentence

Louis XVI was beheaded in 1793. Mary, Queen of Scots, was beheaded for plotting against Queen Elizabeth.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Six weeks later, on July 28, Cromwell was beheaded on Tower Hill. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Mar. 2025 Jane, who may have been as young as 16, is shown blindfolded as an executioner with an axe waits to behead her. Pan Pylas, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2025 An Islamist group linked to Islamic State called the AFD is feared to have beheaded the victims with machetes in the province of North Kivu, highlighting the violence against Christians in some parts of the globe. Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Mar. 2025 Just last month, Islamist ADF terrorists, who want the eastern part of the country to become a Muslim Caliphate, rounded up 70 Christians and beheaded them – in a church. Paul Tilsley, Fox News, 9 Mar. 2025 Members of Daesh, a terror organization, beheaded the 21 men on the beach and then posted the photographs in Dabiq, its propaganda magazine. Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2025 On February 8, Mary was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle. Sarah Holzmann, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Feb. 2025 Among other instances of violence related to animals, Bobby's 36-year-old daughter, Kick Kennedy, recalled in a 2012 interview that her father once beheaded a whale. Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 30 Jan. 2025 On February 8, 1587, the executioner’s ax struck three times, beheading Mary, Queen of Scots. Sarah Holzmann, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of behead was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Behead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behead. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

behead

verb
be·​head bi-ˈhed How to pronounce behead (audio)
: to cut off the head of

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