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execute. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
execute, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
execute in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
execute you have here. The definition of the word
execute will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
execute, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Old French executer (French exécuter), from Latin exsecutus, past participle of exsequor, from ex- (“out”) + sequor (“to follow”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɛksɪˌkjuːt/
- Hyphenation: ex‧e‧cute
Verb
execute (third-person singular simple present executes, present participle executing, simple past and past participle executed)
- (transitive) To kill, especially as punishment for a capital crime.
- Coordinate term: murder
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.
1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 104, column 1:Was not thy Father, Richard, Earle of Cambridge, / For Treaſon executed in our late Kings dayes?
- (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.
1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. , London: [Samuel Simmons], , →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: , London: Basil Montagu Pickering , 1873, →OCLC:Why delays / His hand to execute what his decree / Fixed on this day?
- (transitive) To perform.
to execute a difficult piece of music brilliantly
to execute a turn in ballet
- (transitive, law) 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
- (transitive, computing) To start, launch or run
- Synonyms: start, launch, run, open
to execute a program
- (intransitive, computing) To run, usually successfully.
The program executed, but data problems were discovered.
Derived terms
Translations
to kill as punishment
- Albanian: ekzekutoj (sq)
- Arabic: أَعْدَمَ (ʔaʕdama)
- Armenian: please add this translation if you can
- Azerbaijani: edam etmək
- Belarusian: кара́ць сме́рцю impf (karácʹ smjércju), пакара́ць сме́рцю pf (pakarácʹ smjércju)
- Bulgarian: екзекути́рам impf or pf (ekzekutíram)
- Catalan: executar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 處決/处决 (zh) (chǔjué), 處死/处死 (zh) (chǔsǐ)
- Czech: popravit (cs) pf
- Danish: henrette
- Dutch: executeren (nl)
- Esperanto: ekzekuti
- Estonian: hukkama
- Finnish: teloittaa (fi)
- French: exécuter (fr), mettre à mort (fr)
- Georgian: სიკვდილით დასჯა (siḳvdilit dasǯa)
- German: hinrichten (de)
- Gothic: 𐌳𐌰𐌿𐌸𐌾𐌰𐌽 (dauþjan)
- Greek: εκτελώ (el) (ekteló), θανατώνω (el) (thanatóno)
- Ancient: θανατόω (thanatóō)
- Hebrew: להוציא להרוג
- Hungarian: kivégez (hu)
- Irish: básaigh
- Italian: giustiziare (it)
- Japanese: 処刑する (ja) (しょけいする, shokei suru), 消す (ja) (けす, kesu) (slang)
- Korean: 처형하다 (ko) (cheohyeonghada)
- Latin: carnificō, ad necum mittō
- Latvian: please add this translation if you can
- Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
- Macedonian: погубува impf (pogubuva), погуби pf (pogubi)
- Maori: whakamate
- Norman: exétchuter
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: henrette (no)
- Nynorsk: avretta
- Persian: اعدام کردن (e'dâm kardan)
- Polish: stracać impf, stracić (pl) pf
- Portuguese: executar (pt)
- Quechua: hayratachiy
- Romanian: executa (ro)
- Russian: казни́ть (ru) impf or pf (kaznítʹ)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: сма̀кнути pf, погу̀бити pf
- Roman: smàknuti (sh) pf, pogùbiti (sh) pf
- Slovak: popraviť pf
- Slovene: usmrtiti pf
- Spanish: ejecutar (es), ajusticiar (es)
- Swedish: avrätta (sv)
- Thai: ประหาร (th) (bprà-hǎan)
- Turkish: idam etmek (tr)
- Ukrainian: стра́чувати impf (stráčuvaty), стра́тити pf (strátyty)
- Volapük: cödetadeidön (vo)
- Welsh: dienyddio (cy)
- Zazaki: idam kerden, dard kerden
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to start a defined process and run it to completion
- Arabic: نَفَّذَ (naffaḏa)
- Belarusian: выко́нваць impf (vykónvacʹ), вы́канаць pf (výkanacʹ)
- Bulgarian: изпълня́вам (bg) impf (izpǎlnjávam), изпъ́лня (bg) pf (izpǎ́lnja), извъ́ршвам (bg) impf (izvǎ́ršvam), извъ́рша (bg) pf (izvǎ́rša)
- Catalan: executar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 執行/执行 (zh) (zhíxíng), 運行/运行 (zh) (yùnxíng)
- Czech: konat (cs) impf, vykonávat (cs) impf, vykonat (cs) pf
- Danish: afvikle, udføre, eksekvere
- Dutch: bewerkstelligen (nl), uitvoeren (nl)
- Estonian: teostama, täitma (et)
- Finnish: toteuttaa (fi), panna toimeen, panna täytäntöön
- French: exécuter (fr)
- Georgian: შესრულება (šesruleba), ასრულება (asruleba), სისრულეში მოყვანა (sisruleši moq̇vana)
- German: ausführen (de), durchführen (de)
- Greek:
- Ancient: ἐνεργέω (energéō)
- Hungarian: végrehajt (hu)
- Ido: exekutar (io)
- Japanese: 実行する (ja) (じっこうする, jikkō suru), 行う (ja) (おこなう, okonau)
- Khmer: ប្រតិបត្តិ (km) (prɑtebat)
- Korean: 실행하다 (ko) (silhaenghada), 행하다 (ko) (haenghada)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: بردن بەڕێوە (birdin berrêwe)
- Latin: fungor (la)
- Latvian: izpildīt
- Lithuanian: įvykdyti
- Maori: whakahaere
- Persian: انجامیدن (fa)
- Polish: wykonywać (pl) impf, wykonać (pl) pf
- Portuguese: executar (pt)
- Romanian: executa (ro)
- Russian: исполня́ть (ru) impf (ispolnjátʹ), испо́лнить (ru) pf (ispólnitʹ)
- Scottish Gaelic: cuir an gnìomh
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: извр́шити pf, про̀вести pf
- Roman: izvŕšiti (sh), pròvesti (sh)
- Slovak: vykonávať impf, vykonať pf
- Slovene: izvršiti pf
- Spanish: ejecutar (es)
- Swedish: verkställa (sv), expediera (sv), utföra (sv)
- Ukrainian: вико́нувати (uk) impf (vykónuvaty), ви́конати pf (výkonaty)
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to start a defined process, without regard to whether it runs to completion or not
- Arabic: نَفَّذَ (naffaḏa)
- Catalan: executar (ca)
- Czech: provádět (cs)
- Danish: udføre, eksekvere, starte, påbegynde (da)
- Dutch: bewerkstelligen (nl), uitvoeren (nl)
- Finnish: aloittaa (fi), käynnistää (fi)
- Polish: uruchomić (pl), rozpocząć (pl), zacząć (pl)
- Romanian: executa (ro)
- Russian: выполня́ть (ru) impf (vypolnjátʹ), вы́полнить (ru) pf (výpolnitʹ), исполня́ть (ru) impf (ispolnjátʹ), испо́лнить (ru) pf (ispólnitʹ)
- Scottish Gaelic: cuir an gnìomh
- Ukrainian: вико́нувати (uk) impf (vykónuvaty), ви́конати pf (výkonaty)
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to start, launch or run software
- Arabic: نَفَّذَ (naffaḏa)
- Bulgarian: изпълня́вам (bg) impf (izpǎlnjávam), изпъ́лня (bg) pf (izpǎ́lnja)
- Catalan: executar (ca), arrancar (ca), arrencar (ca)
- Danish: afvikle, udføre, eksekvere
- Dutch: uitvoeren (nl)
- Esperanto: plenumi (eo)
- Finnish: ajaa (fi), suorittaa (fi), käynnistää (fi)
- French: exécuter (fr)
- German: ausführen (de)
- Hungarian: futtat (hu)
- Italian: lanciare (it)
- Norman: exétchuter
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: kjøre (no), eksekvere
- Nynorsk: køyre, eksekvere
- Persian: اجرایدن (fa)
- Polish: uruchomić (pl), wystartować, wykonać (pl)
- Portuguese: executar (pt), rodar (pt)
- Romanian: executa (ro)
- Russian: прогоня́ть (ru) impf (progonjátʹ), прогна́ть (ru) pf (prognátʹ), выполня́ть (ru) impf (vypolnjátʹ), вы́полнить (ru) pf (výpolnitʹ), запуска́ть (ru) impf (zapuskátʹ), запусти́ть (ru) pf (zapustítʹ)
- Slovene: zagnati
- Spanish: ejecutar (es), arrancar (es)
- Swedish: exekvera (sv), köra (sv)
- Ukrainian: запуска́ти impf (zapuskáty), запусти́ти pf (zapustýty)
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to sign or otherwise cause a document (especially a contract) to become legally valid
Latin
Pronunciation
Participle
execūte
- vocative masculine singular of execūtus
Portuguese
Verb
execute
- inflection of executar:
- first/third-person singular present subjunctive
- third-person singular imperative
Spanish
Verb
execute
- inflection of executar:
- first/third-person singular present subjunctive
- third-person singular imperative