definitions

behead

[ bih-hed ]
/ bɪˈhɛd /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR behead ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to cut off the head of; kill or execute by decapitation.
Geology. (of a pirate stream) to divert the headwaters of (a river, stream, etc.).

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RELATED WORDS

execute, guillotine, kill, head, neck, decollate

Nearby words

behaviour therapy, behavioural contagion, behavioural science, behavioural sink, behaviourism, behead, beheld, behemoth, behenic, behenic acid, behest

Origin of behead

before 1000; Middle English behe(f)den, beheveden, Old English behēafdian. See be-, head

Related forms

be·head·al, nounbe·head·er, nounun·be·head·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for behead

British Dictionary definitions for behead

behead

/ (bɪˈhɛd) /

verb

(tr) to remove the head from; decapitate

Word Origin for behead

Old English behēafdian, from be- + heafod head; related to Middle High German behoubeten
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012