decapitate

IPA/dɪˈkæpɪteɪt/
KK[dikˈæpətˌet]IPA/dɪˈkæpɪteɪt/

decapitate — verb

  • decapitatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • decapitateshe / she / it
  • decapitatedpast simple
  • decapitating-ing form

1. to remove a person's head from the body, usually as a way of killing or punishin

1.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

to remove a person's head from the body, usually as a way of killing or punishing them

Example

The rebels threatened to decapitate the captured general at dawn.

decapitate + person as direct object

In the film, the monster decapitated two guards with one swing.

Common collocations
  • decapitate a prisoner
  • decapitate the king
  • decapitate a hostage
Synonyms
  • behead

    the closest everyday equivalent, usually less formal

  • execute

    means kill as a punishment, but not necessarily by removing the head

Grammar Patterns

decapitate + person

Usage Note

Usually found in historical, legal, or fictional writing and nearly always refers to literal killing by removing the head. In ordinary speech, behead is often the more familiar choice.

Common Mistakes

The company decapitated 200 workers last year.
The company laid off 200 workers last year.
decapitate is a literal word about removing a head, not a general word for cutting jobs.

Word family

  • decapitation
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Decapitate and behead both mean removing someone's head, but decapitate is usually more formal and often appears in historical writing, reports, or horror fiction. Execute is broader: a person can be executed by hanging, shooting, or other methods, so it does not tell you how the killing happened. Guillotine is even narrower, because it refers to killing with a specific machine. Dismember means cutting a body into pieces and does not focus on the head alone. You might read that a king was decapitated after a trial, but a criminal could be executed without being decapitated.

behead ↗execute ↗guillotine ↗dismember ↗

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Decapitate comes from late Latin decapitare, built from de- meaning 'off' and caput meaning 'head'. It reached English through French and learned Latin use, which is why it sounds more formal than the shorter verb behead.