decapitate
verb /dɪˈkæpɪteɪt/
/dɪˈkæpɪteɪt/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they decapitate | /dɪˈkæpɪteɪt/ /dɪˈkæpɪteɪt/ |
| he / she / it decapitates | /dɪˈkæpɪteɪts/ /dɪˈkæpɪteɪts/ |
| past simple decapitated | /dɪˈkæpɪteɪtɪd/ /dɪˈkæpɪteɪtɪd/ |
| past participle decapitated | /dɪˈkæpɪteɪtɪd/ /dɪˈkæpɪteɪtɪd/ |
| -ing form decapitating | /dɪˈkæpɪteɪtɪŋ/ /dɪˈkæpɪteɪtɪŋ/ |
- decapitate somebody/something to cut off somebody’s head synonym behead
- His decapitated body was found floating in a canal.
- decapitate something to reduce the power of a group or organization by removing its leaders
- Decapitating the regime led to years of chaos.
- The party has effectively been decapitated.
Word Originearly 17th cent.: from late Latin decapitat- ‘decapitated’, from the verb decapitare, from de- (expressing removal) + caput, capit- ‘head’.