behead
/bɪˈhed/ (bre, ipa) · /bɪˈhed/ (ame, ipa) · /bi-ˈhed bē-/ (ame, mw)
behead — verb
- beheadpresent simple I / you / we / they
- beheadshe / she / it
- beheadedpast simple
- beheading-ing form
1. to remove a person's head from their body by cutting, especially as a legal puni
to remove a person's head from their body by cutting, especially as a legal punishment or in a violent attack
King Charles I was beheaded in front of the Banqueting House in London in 1649.
beheaded, in front of, Banqueting House — passive: beheaded + place + year
Wei read a book about the French Revolution, where nobles were beheaded by guillotine.
beheaded, by guillotine — passive: beheaded by instrument
The gardener found an old engraving that showed an executioner beheading a prisoner.
Ricardo explained to his classmates how people were beheaded for opposing the emperor.
Charlotte's grandmother told her that a famous pirate was beheaded on that island.
- decapitate
more formal or technical; used in medicine, law, and forensic contexts
- guillotine
refers specifically to execution using a guillotine machine
- execute
broader meaning — to kill someone as a legal punishment by any method
文法句型
behead + person
be + beheaded
用法筆記
The passive voice (was/were beheaded) is very common because the focus is usually on the victim rather than the person carrying out the act. The active form is less frequent but appears in historical narratives.