execute
Americanverb (used with object)
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to carry out; accomplish.
to execute a plan or order.
- Synonyms:
- finish, consummate, complete, achieve
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to perform or do.
to execute a maneuver;
to execute a gymnastic feat.
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to inflict capital punishment on; put to death according to law.
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to murder; assassinate.
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to produce in accordance with a plan or design.
a painting executed by an unknown artist.
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to perform or play (a piece of music).
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Law.
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to give effect or force to (a law, decree, judicial sentence, etc.).
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to carry out the terms of (a will).
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to transact or carry through (a contract, mortgage, etc.) in the manner prescribed by law; complete and give validity to (a legal instrument) by fulfilling the legal requirements, as by signing or sealing.
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Computers. to run (a program or routine) or carry out (an instruction in a program).
verb (used without object)
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to perform or accomplish something, as an assigned task.
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Sports. to perform properly the fundamental moves or mechanics of a sport, game, position, or particular play; show smoothness in necessary skills.
We just didn't execute defensively.
verb
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to put (a condemned person) to death; inflict capital punishment upon
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to carry out; complete; perform; do
to execute an order
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to perform; accomplish; effect
to execute a pirouette
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to make or produce
to execute a drawing
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to carry into effect (a judicial sentence, the law, etc); enforce
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law to comply with legal formalities in order to render (a deed, etc) effective, as by signing, sealing, and delivering
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to sign (a will) in the presence of witnesses and in accordance with other legal formalities
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to carry out the terms of (a contract, will, etc)
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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executernoun
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outexecuteverb (used with object)
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preexecuteverb (used with object)
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reexecuteverb (used with object)
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executableadjective
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nonexecutableadjective
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unexecutableadjective
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unexecutingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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executesimple
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executessimple
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have executedperfect
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has executedperfect
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am executingprogressive
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are executingprogressive
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is executingprogressive
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have been executingperfect progressive
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has been executingperfect progressive
Past
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executedsimple
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had executedperfect
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was executingprogressive
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were executingprogressive
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had been executingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of execute
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English executen, from Old French executer, from Medieval Latin execūtāre, derivative of Latin execūtus, past participle of ex(s)equī “to follow up, carry out (punishment), execute”; see ex- 1, sequence
Explanation
To execute means to carry out in full or perform. If you execute all the difficult steps of the dance perfectly, you will make your instructor proud. Here’s what’s tricky about execute: the first thing you think of is being punished with death for criminal actions. Actually, it's more commonly used in the sense of “to carry out in full.” So don't be alarmed with visions of the hooded guy at the guillotine when someone congratulates you on a plan well executed. Think of the word executive to get a closer grasp of both the meaning and the context.
Vocabulary lists containing execute
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 4
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"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
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The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
You have to actually execute what you proposed.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
SpaceX will aspire the next time around to execute a launch, ascent, stage separation, boostback burn and landing burn of the booster offshore without hiccups.
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
"It is filmmaking at a magnitude few modern directors could ever realistically imagine, demand, or execute."
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
“From the moment that he said yes we’ve been on the phone talking about his vision and how to execute it,” says Johanna Rees, vice president of programming and creative partnerships at the L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
To achieve even a reasonably smooth and powerful stroke, they had to learn to execute a series of precisely timed and carefully coordinated moves.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Analysts at Oppenheimer led by Colin Rusch said they “continue to be encouraged by the company’s capital efficiency as it executes against growth initiatives while buying back stock.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
And whoever executes their gameplan the best will lift the trophy.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Early is so certain of everything he wants his debut film to be, and executes those desires with such consistent dexterity and style that watching “Maddie’s Secret” is akin to seeing someone win the lottery.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
One of the others is the Brick, that little piece of plastic that has exactly one job—to make my phone stop working in distracting ways—and executes it to perfection.
From Slate ● Jun. 10, 2026
She leaps from her perch, deploys a tiny parachute, and executes a soft landing—straddling the thrumming ray gun as if it was a bucking bronco.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
The Army contract, if executed at or near its full $500 million, would be the service’s largest-ever contract for small FPV drones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The Supreme Court told us in Slaughter that the president’s constitutional duty is to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
Completed buybacks — not just authorized repurchases but ones that are actually executed — are also running at a record pace, according to Rubin.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
Most skills came back seamlessly, even ones she hadn’t executed in competition since she was 16.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
He also read an account of Nazi general Ernst Kaltenbrunner, a leader of the SS who ended up being found guilty at the Nuremberg trials and executed.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
“We aim to stay ahead by executing against our three areas of focus: delivering more entertainment value, leveraging technology to improve every aspect of our service, and improving monetization.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
Neither has enough consistent technical control to shape the part without occasional lapses, but each revealed a stirring presence that made Siegfried vivid while executing the choreography’s intricacies with musical and dynamic resonance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
There’s an art to executing the perfect “soft” off day.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
The FTC, the court said, “unquestionably exercises executive power,” its work the very essence of executing the law.
From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2026
Only after she genuinely faints during a session, rather than perfectly executing the choreographed dramatic swoon, does he relent to a respite at their home in New York.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.