noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/bɪˈhɛˌdɪŋ/
/bəˈhɛˌdɪŋ/weak vowel merger
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:B IH0 HH EH1 D IH0 NG
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
An instance of a person being beheaded.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
A large crowd gathered to see the beheading.
The guillotine was meant to humanize beheadings, but allowed the French Revolution to execute people at an industrial rate.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
present participle and gerund of behead
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
killing by cutting off the head
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: decapitation
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: killing, kill, putting to death
4
noun
Meaning 4
execution by cutting off the victim's head
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: decapitation
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: execution, executing, capital punishment, death penalty
History
Etymology
From behead + -ing.
Across languages
Translations
35 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Catalan:
decapitació
— an instance of beheading
Chinese Mandarin:
斬首 /斩首
(zhǎnshǒu)
— an instance of beheading
Chinese Mandarin:
斬罪 /斩罪
(zhǎnzuì)
— an instance of beheading
Chinese Mandarin:
斷頭 /断头
(duàntóu)
— an instance of beheading
Chinese Mandarin:
殺頭 /杀头
(shātóu)
— an instance of beheading
Chinese Mandarin:
問斬 /问斩
(wènzhǎn)
— an instance of beheading
Czech:
dekapitace
— an instance of beheading
Czech:
stětí
— an instance of beheading
Danish:
halshugning
— an instance of beheading
Dutch:
onthoofding
— an instance of beheading
Esperanto:
senkapigo
— an instance of beheading
Estonian:
pea maha raiumine
— an instance of beheading
Finnish:
mestaus
— an instance of beheading
French:
décapitation
— an instance of beheading
German:
Enthauptung
— an instance of beheading
Greek:
αποκεφαλισμός
(apokefalismós)
— an instance of beheading
Hebrew:
עריפה
(a'rifa)
— an instance of beheading
Hungarian:
lefejezés
— an instance of beheading
Italian:
decapitazione
— an instance of beheading
Japanese:
打ち首
(uchikubi)
— an instance of beheading
Khmer:
ការកាត់ក្បាល
(kaa kat kbaal)
— an instance of beheading
Korean:
참수
(chamsu)
— an instance of beheading
Macedonian:
обезглавување
(obezglavuvanje)
— an instance of beheading
Norwegian Bokmål:
halshugging
— an instance of beheading
Norwegian Bokmål:
halshugning
— an instance of beheading
Polish:
ścięcie
— an instance of beheading
Polish:
kęsim
— an instance of beheading
Portuguese:
decapitação
— an instance of beheading
Russian:
обезгла́вливание
(obezglávlivanije)
— an instance of beheading
Scottish Gaelic:
dì-cheannadh
— an instance of beheading
Spanish:
decapitación
— an instance of beheading
Spanish:
degüello
— an instance of beheading
Spanish:
descabezamiento
— an instance of beheading
