headsman

[ hedz-muhn ]

/ ˈhɛdz mən /

Save This Word!

noun, plural heads·men.

a public executioner who beheads condemned persons.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also headman.

Origin of headsman

First recorded in 1595–1605; head + 's¹ + man

Words nearby headsman

headsheet, headship, head shop, headshot, headshrinker, headsman, head smut, heads or tails, headspace, headspring, headsquare

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use headsman in a sentence

Maybe this hip-hop headsman really is the man in black with the little knife in the film.
ISIS, Hip-Hop Jihadists and the Man Who Killed James Foley|Christopher Dickey|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As that other voice of his was worthier a headsman than a head when he wished the people of Rome had but one neck.
Discoveries Made Upon Men and Matter|Ben Jonson
Now the time is up,” bawled the King; “come hither, headsman, and take off his head.
East of the Sun and West of the Moon|Peter Christen Asbjrnsen
I have seen the axe fall, the axe which I put into the headsman's hands.
The Black Douglas|S. R. Crockett

Now let me tell you that if I am not allowed to get to the Prince's heart yet I will stand in the way of the headsman's sword.
The Golden Age in Transylvania|Mr Jkai
There is a hush—a stillness of the grave—for the very headsman trembles as the horrible blade falls—anon, a moment's delay.
Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 6 of 8|Various

British Dictionary definitions for headsman

headsman

/ (ˈhɛdzmən) /

noun plural -men

(formerly) an executioner who beheaded condemned persons

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