decapitate

verb

de·​cap·​i·​tate di-ˈka-pə-ˌtāt 

dē-

decapitated; decapitating

transitive verb

: to cut off the head of : behead

decapitation

di-ˌka-pə-ˈtā-shən 

dē-

noun

decapitator

di-ˈka-pə-ˌtā-tər 

dē-

noun

Did you know?

Decapitation is a quick and fairly painless way to go, so it was once considered suitable only for nobles like Sir Walter Raleigh, Mary Queen of Scots, and two of Henry VIII's unfortunate wives. The invention of the guillotine in the 18th century was meant to make execution swifter and more painless than hanging or a badly aimed blow by the executioner's sword.

Synonyms

• behead
• guillotine
• head

Examples of decapitate in a Sentence

a particularly gruesome series of murders in which the victims were decapitated

Recent Examples on the Web

But far from decapitating the far right, this ruling – that followed a guilty verdict on embezzlement charges – could actually strengthen it by fueling populist grievances and accelerating the rebranding of Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party. —Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2025

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

Early sequences like the one-shot hallway fight and Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) decapitating a man with a car door pushed the boundaries of comic book television. —Antonio Ferme, Variety, 25 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

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin decapitatus, past participle of decapitare, from Latin de- + capit-, caput head — more at head

First Known Use

circa 1611, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for decapitate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

decapitate

verb

de·​cap·​i·​tate di-ˈkap-ə-ˌtāt 

decapitated; decapitating

: to cut off the head of : behead

decapitation

-ˌkap-ə-ˈtā-shən 

noun

Etymology

derived from Latin decapitare "to cut off the head of," from de- "from, away" and caput "head" — related to capital

Medical Definition

decapitate

1 of 2 transitive verb

de·​cap·​i·​tate di-ˈkap-ə-ˌtāt 

decapitated; decapitating

: to cut off the head of

decapitation

-ˌkap-ə-ˈtā-shən 

noun

decapitate

2 of 2 adjective

de·​cap·​i·​tate -ə-ˌtāt  -ət-ət 

: relating to or being a decapitated experimental animal