# guillotine

/ˈɡijəˌtin/ (US) · /ɡˈɪlətˌiːn/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/guillotine
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. execution device

noun · CEFR B2

a machine used in the past for killing people by cutting off their heads with a heavy blade.

For teachers: a device designed for carrying out capital punishment by decapitation, consisting of a tall upright frame and a suspended weighted blade.

- The guillotine was famously used during the French Revolution.
- Historians often cite the introduction of the guillotine as an attempt to make capital punishment more humane and egalitarian during the Reign of Terror.

### 2. paper cutter

noun · CEFR B2

a tool with a long blade used for cutting large stacks of paper or metal in a straight line.

For teachers: a mechanical apparatus equipped with a heavy blade for trimming or cutting materials such as paper, card, or sheet metal.

- Be careful when using the paper guillotine in the office so you don't cut your fingers.
- The print shop installed a heavy-duty industrial guillotine capable of slicing through five hundred sheets of bond paper in a single stroke.

### 3. legislative limit

noun · CEFR C1 · British English · Informal

a rule in government that sets a fixed time for a debate to end so a vote can happen.

For teachers: a parliamentary procedure used to fix a time limit for the consideration of a bill, effectively curtailing further debate.

- The government used the guillotine to ensure the new law passed before the holiday.
- The opposition protested the use of the guillotine, arguing that such a strict timetable prevented adequate scrutiny of the proposed tax reforms.

### 4. to cut or end abruptly

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to cut something with a blade, or to end a plan or discussion very suddenly.

For teachers: to decapitate using a guillotine, or figuratively, to terminate a process or debate with abrupt finality.

- The project was guillotined after the company lost its main investor.
- The board of directors decided to guillotine the research programme, citing a lack of viable commercial applications for the current prototypes.

Usage: Transitive; requires a direct object.

## Examples

- The history book describes the guillotine used during the French Revolution.
- The committee used a guillotine to end the long debate and vote on the new law immediately.
- While the historical guillotine is infamous for its role in the French Revolution, the modern surgical version is a precision instrument designed to make clean, rapid cuts through bone and tissue.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.