decapitate
/di,kæpiteit/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To cut off the head of (a person or animal): The primary meaning refers to the act of removing the head from a body, typically as a method of execution or killing.
- To remove the leadership or most important part of (an organization, system, etc.): Used figuratively to describe the removal of the leading or controlling element of a group or structure.
Usage Examples
- Literal meaning:
- The guillotine was used to decapitate prisoners during the French Revolution.
- The knight decapitated the dragon with one swift stroke of his sword.
- Figurative meaning:
- The scandal decapitated the company's senior management team.
- The new law effectively decapitates the power of the old regulatory body.
Advanced Usage
- "to be decapitated": To have one's head cut off; to be killed in this manner.
- The statue was found decapitated by vandals.
- Used in formal, historical, or news contexts to describe beheadings, often carrying a connotation of violence, justice, or political purge.
Variants and Related Words
- Decapitation (noun): The act of decapitating or the state of being decapitated.
- The decapitation was a public spectacle.
- Behead (verb): A close synonym for the literal meaning of decapitate.
- The king ordered the traitor to be beheaded.
Synonyms
- Behead: To cut off the head of.
- Execute: To carry out a sentence of death (decapitation is one method).
- Guillotine: Specifically to execute using a guillotine.
Related Phrases
- "decapitate the leadership": A common figurative phrase meaning to remove the top leaders of an organization.
- The coup's first goal was to decapitate the military leadership.
Related Idioms
- "To cut off the head of the snake": An idiom similar to the figurative use of decapitate, meaning to defeat an organization by targeting its leader.
- Their strategy was to cut off the head of the snake by capturing the general.
Verb
- cut the head of
- the French King was beheaded during the Revolution