Meaning

6 senses

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

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

    According to international treaties, it is illegal to execute prisoners of war.

    hinrichten, exekutieren

    казни́тьkaznítʹ

    стра́чуватиstráčuvaty, стра́титиstrátyty

    kill as a means of socially sanctioned punishment

  2. (transitive)To carry out; to put into effect.

    Your orders have been executed, sir!

    I'll execute your orders as soon as this meeting is adjourned.

    put in effect

  3. (transitive)To perform.

    to execute a difficult piece of music brilliantly

    to execute a turn in ballet

    carry out or perform an action

  4. (transitive)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.

    to execute a contract

    подпи́сыватьpodpísyvatʹ, подписа́тьpodpisátʹ

  5. (transitive)To start, launch, or run.

    to execute a program

    ausführen, durchführen, ausführen

    исполня́тьispolnjátʹ, испо́лнитьispólnitʹ, прогоня́тьprogonjátʹ

    вико́нуватиvykónuvaty, ви́конатиvýkonaty, запуска́тиzapuskáty

  6. (intransitive)To run, usually successfully.

    The program executed, but data problems were discovered.

Examples

166 sentences

  1. Tom will be executed at midnight.

    Тома стратять опівночі. — deniko

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  2. Tom is going to be executed at midnight.

    Тома стратять опівночі. — deniko

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  3. The king was executed.

    Короля стратили. — deniko

    ruКороль был казнен. — sharptoothed

    deDer König wurde hingerichtet. — al_ex_an_der

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  4. Tom will be executed.

    Тома стратять. — deniko

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  5. Tom was executed.

    Тома стратили. — deniko

    ruТом был наказан. — Biga

    deTom wurde hingerichtet. — Manfredo

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · CK · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 3
to start a defined process, without regard to whether it runs to completion or not:
to kill as punishment:
to start, launch or run software:
Русский
By meaning 4
to start a defined process, without regard to whether it runs to completion or not:
to kill as punishment:
to sign or otherwise cause a document (especially a contract) to become legally valid:
to start, launch or run software:
Deutsch
By meaning 2
to kill as punishment:
to start a defined process and run it to completion:

Origin

From Old French executer (French exécuter), from Latin exsecutus, past participle of exseq

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”).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

executes, executing, executed, executed
Base formexecute · to execute
3rd person singularexecutes
Present participleexecuting
Past simpleexecuted
Past participleexecuted

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theyexecute
he, she, itexecutes

Past simpleLesson

all personsexecuted

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave executed
he, she, ithas executed

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill execute

Synonyms

13 synonyms
startA1launchB1runA1openA1performA2doA1carry out
Close in meaning

Word family

20 related words
Relatedexecutionexecutingexecutiveexecutorexecutant
Derivedelectrocuteexecutabilityexecutableexecute orderexecutionerexecutrixexecutrymisexecutenonexecutednonexecutingoutexecutereexecuteself-executingunexecuteunexecuted

Lessons for this word

3 lessons

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
excursionB2excusableexcuseB1executionB2executionerexecutiveB2
execute — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto