1
: a machine for beheading by means of a heavy blade that slides down in vertical guides
2
: a shearing machine or instrument (such as a paper cutter) that in action resembles a guillotine
The paper was trimmed on a guillotine.
3
chiefly British : closure by the imposition of a predetermined time limit on the consideration of specific sections of a bill or portions of other legislative business
guillotine transitive verb

Examples of guillotine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web While the couple’s relationship is necessarily a crucial part of the story, the focus is on Hilde, who was imprisoned while eight months pregnant, had her baby in prison, and faced the guillotine a short time later. Catherine Bray, Variety, 17 Feb. 2024 Hatred is lying under a guillotine and waiting for the other person’s head to roll away. Hazlitt, 7 Feb. 2024 Tesla is once again slashing prices Rivian isn’t the only automaker that’s taking a guillotine to its price list, as Tesla has once again slashed hundreds of dollars off the price of some of its models. Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 12 Feb. 2024 The year is 1794, and a guillotine is on its way to the island of Guadeloupe. Natasha Wimmer, The New York Review of Books, 1 Feb. 2024 Madeleine’s role in The Bitter Tears of Marie Antoinette, filmed at a guillotine, suggests how corporate media’s travesty of J6 show trials on network TV put us through a modern version of the French Revolution’s Jacobin Terror. Armond White, National Review, 26 Jan. 2024 Chefs, having lost their noble patrons to the guillotine or forced exile, took their recipes and techniques and opened eating establishments for the public. Jamie Schler, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 Moroz worked for a reversal, putting Silva on her back, but the Brazilian locked in a tight guillotine choke, getting the tap with no time to spare. Amin Touri, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2023 Do producers, cast members, whoever feel weird about giving Jax Taylor less grace than, like, Marie Antoinette going to the guillotine? Vulture, 21 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'guillotine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from Joseph Guillotin †1814 French physician

First Known Use

1790, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of guillotine was in 1790

Dictionary Entries Near guillotine

Cite this Entry

“Guillotine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guillotine. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

guillotine

noun
guil·​lo·​tine ˈgil-ə-ˌtēn How to pronounce guillotine (audio) ˌgē-(y)ə-ˈtēn How to pronounce guillotine (audio)
ˈgē-(y)əˌ-tēn
: a machine for cutting off a person's head by means of a heavy blade sliding in two upright grooved posts
guillotine verb
Etymology

named for Joseph Guillotin 1738–1814 French doctor and public official

Medical Definition

guillotine

noun
guil·​lo·​tine ˈgil-ə-ˌtēn How to pronounce guillotine (audio) ˈgē-ə-ˌtēn How to pronounce guillotine (audio)
: a surgical instrument that consists of a ring and handle with a knife blade which slides down the handle and across the ring and that is used for cutting out a protruding structure (as a tonsil) capable of being placed in the ring
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