behead

[bih-hed]

verb (used with object)

1. to cut off the head of; kill or execute by decapitation.

2. Geology.,  (of a pirate stream) to divert the headwaters of (a river, stream, etc.).

behead

/ bɪˈhɛd /

verb

1. (tr) to remove the head from; decapitate

Other Word Forms

• beheadal noun
• beheader noun
• unbeheaded adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of behead¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of behead¹

Old English behēafdian , from _be- + heafod _head ; related to Middle High German behoubeten

Example Sentences

Badinter, a lawyer who campaigned for an end to capital punishment after one of his clients was beheaded with a guillotine in the 1970s, died last year aged 95.

Read more on Barron's

Officers took the device off him and found he had logged into chats referencing crossbows, Islamic State group beheading videos and school shootings, the court heard.

Read more on BBC

She's the one that died, instead of being beheaded.

Read more on BBC

He recently sparked anger with a tweet in which he threatened to behead opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine.

Read more on BBC

Honor shapes Ned's life, one that concludes with him confessing to a crime he didn’t commit before he’s beheaded for the enjoyment of snarling smallfolk he tried to protect.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• decapitate 
• execute