Execute

//ˈɛksɪˌkjuːt// verb

verb ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To kill, especially as punishment for a capital crime. transitive

    "There are certain states where it is lawful to execute prisoners convicted of certain crimes."

  2. 2
    sign in the presence of witnesses wordnet
  3. 3
    To carry out; to put into effect. transitive

    "Your orders have been executed, sir!"

  4. 4
    put in effect wordnet
  5. 5
    To perform. transitive

    "to execute a difficult piece of music brilliantly"

Show 8 more definitions
  1. 6
    carry out or perform an action wordnet
  2. 7
    To carry out, to perform an act; to put into effect or cause to become legally binding or valid (as a contract) by so doing. transitive

    "to execute a contract"

  3. 8
    kill as a means of socially sanctioned punishment wordnet
  4. 9
    To start, launch, or run. transitive

    "to execute a program"

  5. 10
    murder in a planned fashion wordnet
  6. 11
    To run, usually successfully. intransitive

    "The program executed, but data problems were discovered."

  7. 12
    carry out a process or program, as on a computer or a machine wordnet
  8. 13
    carry out the legalities of wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
carry outcarry throughdoperformperformrun

Antonyms

All antonyms
end

Example

More examples

"It is difficult to execute the task."

Etymology

From Old French executer (French exécuter), from Latin exsecutus, past participle of exsequor (“to follow (up/through)”, particularly in the sense “to go through with a deed or punishment”), from ex- (“out”) + sequor (“to follow”).

Related phrases

execute orderself-executing

More for "execute"

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.