decapitate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of decapitate
1605–15; < Late Latin dēcapitātus, past participle of dēcapitāre, equivalent to dē- de- + capit- (stem of caput ) head + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
When the bad-tempered Queen of Hearts cried “off with their heads!” in Alice in Wonderland, she was ordering her henchmen to decapitate those who had offended her. The verb decapitate comes from Latin de ”away” or “down” and caput “head.” Don’t confuse it with kaput, a German word that means “broken” or destroyed.” Of course, if someone were to decapitate you, you’d be pretty well kaput.
Vocabulary lists containing decapitate
The Secret Life of Bees
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Bless Me, Ultima
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Body Language: Capit, Capt ("Head")
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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.
Mr. Rubio said Sunday it was unrealistic to take more risks in the raid to decapitate more of the regime, which is fair enough.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 4, 2026
“I currently know that he did not decapitate it, even though he said that’s what he was doing, so that’s what I had assumed that he did,” she said Wednesday.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 2, 2025
If the plotters had hoped to decapitate the Nazis, the attempt had the opposite effect: Hitler’s doctor recalled him saying over and over, “I am invulnerable. I am immortal,” according to Moorhouse.
From Washington Post • Aug. 9, 2022
One weather feature that can decapitate storms or prevent them from forming in the first place is high cross winds called shear.
From Seattle Times • May 31, 2022
The poor truck was rattling to the point I expected the hood to fly off and decapitate a couple of pine trees.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
