headsman

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of headsman Several other leading figures of the period ended their days on the executioner’s block, including the unhappy Comte de Chalais, whose headsman bungled the job and ended up frantically chopping away at his screaming victim with a small hatchet. David A. Bell, Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2012 Even if your reality is the headsman’s block! Helen Shaw, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2021 Two other men, subjects of excellent Holbein drawings in the show, would keep appointments with the headsman. Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022 Once upon a time, the queen could have sent rebels to the Tower and the headsman’s block, even relatives—especially relatives. Matt Seaton, The New York Review of Books, 9 Mar. 2021 The British prime minister has assembled a trio of headsmen to sever Britain from the mainland. Vanityfair.com, VanityFair.com, 22 Mar. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headsman
Noun
  • No longer the beloved Renaissance prince of his youth, Henry was, by his mid-40s, an increasingly infirm and mercurial monarch who had few qualms about sending his closest companions—among them the aforementioned Thomas More—to the executioner’s block.
    Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Mar. 2025
  • The Mirror and the Light opens with that profoundly disturbing execution, Foy a pale rictus of fear and vulnerability as she is led to the block, where she is blindfolded and positioned before the executioner’s sword.
    Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • But since taking office, the president has been tightening up his definition of freedom like a hangman’s noose.
    Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Our staff plays hangman to pass some time.
    R29 Team, refinery29.com, 7 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The Sportatorium, owned by the Stephen A. Calder estate whose executor is Hort Soper, closed when the Miami Arena came on the scene.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2025
  • The digital replication right does not expire at a person’s death, and can be transferred and licensed by heirs, executors and others.
    Ted Johnson, Deadline, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Now, while media and fans are all crunching the numbers and trying to predict who will die and who their murderer is in Season 3, several people involved with the series are effectively telling audiences to brace themselves for something big in the finale, which will run 90 minutes.
    Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Look at this week’s murderer, Freya Frostad (Mary-Louise Parker) — she’s built an entire career and life on the belief that one only needs 44 things in this life.
    Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Headsman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headsman. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

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