behead

B3E1H4E1A1D2
/bɪˈhɛd//bəˈhɛd/

verb

To deliberately remove the head of; to cut off (someone's) head.

Similar
decapitatedecollate
OriginMiddle English beheden ← Old English behēafdian ← Proto-West Germanic *bihaubudōn →
UncommonScrabble 12
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Meanings

verbbehead (third-person singular simple present beheads, present participle beheading, simple past and past participle beheaded)

present singular third person beheads · participle present beheading · participle past beheaded · past beheaded

  1. transitiveTo deliberately remove the head of; to cut off (someone's) head.

    “For a while it was hand-to-hand between us, then blood went curling along the currents and I beheaded Grendel's mother in the hall with a mighty sword.”]

    1999, Seamus Heaney, Beowulf, London: Faber and Faber, page 68

    Synonyms: decapitate, decollate

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo deliberately remove the head of; to cut off (someone's) head.

Similar
decapitatedecollate

More synonyms by meaning

verbcut the head of

Similar
decapitatedecollate
Broader
kill
Also see
decapitatedecollatehead

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-West Germanic*bihaubudōn
  2. Old Englishbehēafdian“to behead”
  3. Middle Englishbeheden
  4. Englishbehead

From Middle English beheden, bihefden, biheveden, from Old English behēafdian (“to behead”), from Proto-West Germanic *bihaubudōn, *bihaubidōn (“to behead”), equivalent to be- (“off, away”) + head. Cognate with Middle High German behoubeten (“to behead”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek πελεκίζω, ἀποκεφαλίζω
  • πελεκίζω (pelekízō)to remove the head
  • ἀποκεφαλίζω (apokephalízō)to remove the head
Arabic ضَرَبَ عُنُقَهُ
  • ضَرَبَ عُنُقَهُ (ḍaraba ʕunuqahu)to remove the head
Biblical Hebrew כָּרַת רֹאשׁ, הֵסִיר רֹאשׁ
  • כָּרַת רֹאשׁto remove the head
  • הֵסִיר רֹאשׁto remove the head
Bulgarian обезглавя́вам
  • обезглавя́вам (obezglavjávam)to remove the head
Catalan decapitar, degollar
  • decapitarto remove the head
  • degollarto remove the head
Chinese Mandarin 砍頭 /砍头, 斬首 /斩首
  • 砍頭 /砍头 (kǎntóu)to remove the head
  • 斬首 /斩首 (zhǎnshǒu)to remove the head
Czech stít
  • stítto remove the head
Danish halshugge
  • halshuggeto remove the head
Dutch onthoofden
  • onthoofdento remove the head
Esperanto senkapigi
  • senkapigito remove the head
Estonian pead maha raiuma
  • pead maha raiumato remove the head
Finnish katkaista kaula, mestata
  • katkaista kaulato remove the head
  • mestatato remove the head
French décapiter
  • décapiterto remove the head
German enthaupten, köpfen
  • enthauptento remove the head
  • köpfento remove the head
Greek αποκεφαλίζω
  • αποκεφαλίζω (apokefalízo)to remove the head
Hebrew עָרַף, הִתִּיז
  • עָרַף (aráf)to remove the head
  • הִתִּיז (hitíz)to remove the head
Hungarian lefejez, lefejezni
  • lefejezto remove the head
  • lefejeznito remove the head
Indonesian memenggal, memancung
  • memenggalto remove the head
  • memancungto remove the head
Italian decapitare
  • decapitareto remove the head
Japanese 首を刎ねる, 斬首する
  • 首を刎ねる (kubi o haneru)to remove the head
  • 斬首する (zanshu suru)to remove the head
  • 刎ねる (haneru)to remove the head
  • 打ち首にする (uchikubi ni suru)to remove the head
Korean 목을 베다, 참수(斬首)하다
  • 목을 베다 (mogeul beda)to remove the head
  • 참수(斬首)하다 (chamsuhada)to remove the head
Latin dēcollō, dētruncō
  • dēcollōto remove the head
  • dētruncōto remove the head
  • obtruncōto remove the head
  • decapitoto remove the head
Malay pancung
  • pancungto remove the head
Māori pōuto (i te kaki), whakatumu
  • pōuto (i te kaki)to remove the head
  • whakatumuto remove the head
Norwegian halshugge, halshogge
  • halshuggeto remove the head
  • halshoggeto remove the head
  • avhovdato remove the head
Persian گردن زدن
  • گردن زدن (gardan zadan)to remove the head
Polish ściąć głowę
  • ściąć głowęto remove the head
Portuguese decapitar, degolar
  • decapitarto remove the head
  • degolarto remove the head
Romanian decapita
  • decapitato remove the head
Russian обезгла́вливать, обезгла́вить
  • обезгла́вливать (obezglávlivatʹ)to remove the head
  • обезгла́вить (obezglávitʹ)to remove the head
  • отруба́ть го́лову (otrubátʹ gólovu)to remove the head
  • отруби́ть го́лову (otrubítʹ gólovu)to remove the head
Slovak sťať, stínať
  • sťaťto remove the head
  • stínaťto remove the head
Spanish descabezar
  • descabezarto remove the head
Swedish halshugga, dekapitera
  • halshuggato remove the head
  • dekapiterato remove the head
Tagalog pugutan
  • pugutanto remove the head
Tamil தலை துண்டி, கவர்
  • தலை துண்டி (talai tuṇṭi)to remove the head
  • கவர் (kavar)to remove the head
  • தலை கொய் (talai koy)to remove the head
Thai ตัดศีรษะ
  • ตัดศีรษะ (dtàt sǐi-sà)to remove the head
Turkish boynunu vurmak, kafasını uçurmak
  • boynunu vurmakto remove the head
  • kafasını uçurmakto remove the head
  • kellesini uçurmakto remove the head
Ukrainian обезголо́влювати, обезголо́вити
  • обезголо́влювати (obezholóvljuvaty)to remove the head
  • обезголо́вити (obezholóvyty)to remove the head
  • обезгла́влювати (obezhlávljuvaty)to remove the head
  • обезгла́вити (obezhlávyty)to remove the head
Urdu سرقلم کرنا
  • سرقلم کرنا (sar qalam karna)to remove the head
Vietnamese chặt đầu, chém đầu
  • chặt đầuto remove the head
  • chém đầuto remove the head
Welsh torfynyglu
  • torfynygluto remove the head

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with behead

readsaidthreadzleadwedbedinsteadeddeadledaheadspreadmedbreadtedoverheadAhmedtreaddreadembedsledpleadundead
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

behead. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/behead

MLA

“behead.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/behead. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “behead,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/behead.

Source: behead on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.