DECAPITATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does decapitate mean? 

• DECAPITATE (verb)
  The verb DECAPITATE has 1 sense:

1. cut the head of

  Familiarity information: DECAPITATE used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DECAPITATE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they decapitate    ... he / she / it decapitates   
Past simple: decapitated   
Past participle: decapitated   
-ing form: decapitating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cut the head of

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

behead; decapitate; decollate

Context example:

the French King was beheaded during the Revolution

Hypernyms (to "decapitate" is one way to...):

kill (cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "decapitate"):

guillotine (kill by cutting the head off with a guillotine)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

They want to decapitate the prisoners

 Context examples 

Here there was a choke that couldn't be controlled, so he decapitated buttercups while he cleared his 'confounded throat'.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)