behead
verb (used with object)
to cut off the head of; kill or execute by decapitation.
beheading
-
present participleof behead.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Leo's visit, which is expected to focus on interfaith dialogue, comes 30 years after the beheading of seven French Trappist monks from a monastery during the 1990s civil war.
From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026
Osbourne retells the infamous story of orally beheading an unsuspecting bat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025
The letters date from 1578 to 1584, a few years before Mary's beheading 436 years ago - on 8 February, 1587.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2023
Halimi had pointed out, in court and in the media, that until 1943 a woman could, by law, have faced beheading by guillotine for having an abortion, such was the stigma around it.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 11, 2022
They popped out of the walls and tables to do a bit of formation gliding; Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had a great success with a reenactment of his own botched beheading.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
