Meanings
verbdraw and quarter (third-person singular simple present draws and quarters, present participle drawing and quartering, simple past drew and quartered, past participle drawn and quartered)
present singular third person draws and quarters · participle present drawing and quartering · past drew and quartered · participle past drawn and quartered
- historicaltransitiveTo execute (someone) by castration, disembowelling, beheading and quartering.
- figurativelytransitiveTo severely punish or criticize someone.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbpull (a person) apart with four horses tied to their extremities, so as to execute them
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 車裂 /车裂, 轘 /𮝹
- 車裂 /车裂tо execute a person
- 轘 /𮝹tо execute a person
- 轘裂 /𮝹裂tо execute a person
- 轘臠 /𮝹脔tо execute a person
- 轘磔 /𮝹磔tо execute a person
Dutch vierendelen
- vierendelentо execute a person
Finnish teloittaa repimällä ja paloittelemalla
- teloittaa repimällä ja paloittelemallatо execute a person
French écarteler
- écartelertо execute a person
Italian squartare
- squartaretо execute a person
Polish ćwiartować, poćwiartować
- ćwiartowaćtо execute a person
- poćwiartowaćtо execute a person
Russian четвертова́ть
- четвертова́ть (četvertovátʹ)tо execute a person
Cite this entry
APA
draw and quarter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/draw%20and%20quarter
MLA
“draw and quarter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/draw%20and%20quarter. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “draw and quarter,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/draw%20and%20quarter.
Source: draw and quarter on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.