behead

[ bih-hed ]

/ bɪˈhɛd /

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See synonyms for: behead / beheading 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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Origin of behead

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

OTHER WORDS FROM behead

be·head·al, nounbe·head·er, nounun·be·head·ed, adjective

Words nearby behead

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use behead in a sentence

In Karnataka, meanwhile, a 25-year-old Muslim man was found beheaded for his affair with a Hindu girl, allegedly by a local Hindu vigilante group.
Is India Headed for an Anti-Muslim Genocide?|Debasish Roy Chowdhury|October 4, 2021|Time
I mentalize beheading each axon withan engraved fountain pen.
Five poems about the mind|Cynthia Miller, Paula Bohince, Anthony Anaxagorou, Tishani Doshi, Zeina Hashem Beck|August 25, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Boleyn became queen but was beheaded for treason when she didn’t bear a son.
Scandalous Love Affairs That Changed History|Nick Fouriezos|April 14, 2021|Ozy
Then they took out their once‑glimmering knives, now turned brown by Kobani’s dust and rubble, and beheaded her corpse right there on the street for all their men to see.
The Women Who Fought to Defend Their Homes Against ISIS|Gayle Tzemach Lemmon|February 22, 2021|Time

Sometimes the Islamic State shared images of beheaded YPJ fighters on social media.
The Women Who Fought to Defend Their Homes Against ISIS|Gayle Tzemach Lemmon|February 22, 2021|Time
They not only kill soldiers in battle, they behead them and burn them.
Iraqi Soldiers Bribe Officers So They Don't Have to Fight ISIS|Niqash|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When Khaled Saad answers his phone there is often a voice on the other end threatening to behead him.
Battle for the Sinai|Sophia Jones|July 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Right now a young woman whose husband tried to behead her is recovering from her injuries in a Ghor hospital.
The Underground Educator|Gayle Tzemach Lemmon|March 5, 2010|DAILY BEAST
I suspect the Brits used to behead people for lesser breaches of protocol.
The Power of Michelle|Katty Kay|April 29, 2009|DAILY BEAST
He stepped forward as he spoke, and his esquire gave him the two-hand Sword of State, heavy enough to behead a bisonoid.
Space Viking|Henry Beam Piper
The weak thread of his patience broke, and in a fearful passion he commanded the guards to behead me at once.
An Egyptian Princess, Complete|Georg Ebers
Behead a time-piece, and leave something by which treasures are protected.
Harper's Young People, July 12, 1881|Various
Behead a gulf on the coast of Africa, and leave a lair of wild beasts.
Harper's Young People, April 19, 1881|Various
Behead a basket or hamper, and leave standard or proportion.
St. Nicholas Magazine for Boys and Girls, Vol. 5, October 1878, No. 12|Various

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

behead

Origin of behead

OTHER WORDS FROM behead

Words nearby behead

Words related to behead

How to use behead in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for behead

Word Origin for behead