execute
/ˈɛksɪkjuːt
/verb [with object]
1Put (a plan, order, or course of action) into effect: the corporation executed a series of financial deals...
- Parsons has also demonstrated vision and can effectively communicate and execute strategic plans.
- Their orders: to start executing the plan the day the deal closes.
- Corporate PR pros helped plan and execute the strategy.
Synonyms
carry out, accomplish, perform, implement, effect, bring off, bring about, achieve, carry off, carry through, complete, enact, enforce, put into effect, put into practice, do, discharge, prosecute, engineer, administer, attain, realize, fulfil;
perpetrate
informal pull off, swing, cut
archaic acquit oneself of
rare effectuate
1.1Produce (a work of art): not only does she execute embroideries, she designs them too...
- This work was executed by painting the canvas the texture of wood, so that the figure seems like a sculpture.
- The work is flawlessly executed and represents one of the finest examples of the metalsmith's art.
- Associations aside, the works are deftly executed, marvelously obsessive gems.
1.2Perform (a skilful action or manoeuvre): they had to execute their dance steps with the greatest precision...
- He drove a very strong race pushing hard throughout and perfectly executing an overtaking manoeuvre over Michael that turned out to be decisive for us to finish third.
- Occasionally, executing a standard manoeuvre such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would need to reinstall the engine.
- This third try was symptomatic of a day of off-load practice for Bradford as they were given maximum time and space to execute their manoeuvres.
Synonyms
perform, present, render;
stage, put on
1.3 Law Make (a legal instrument) valid by signing or sealing it.No new beneficial interest is created in favour of the appellant or anybody else, and the property remains subject to the same trusts as it did before the instrument was executed....
- So the rights, whatever they were, were created, at least according to the language of the documents, a week before the dutiable instrument was executed.
- Once a security instrument is executed, says GMAC, it attaches immediately to all assets covered by that instrument.
1.4 Law Carry out (a judicial sentence, the terms of a will, or other order): police executed a search warrant...
- On March 23 the police executed a search warrant at a warehouse and made further seizures.
- The death penalty being spoken of for both is a barbaric obscenity that achieves nothing - except diminish everyone involved in executing the sentence.
- A dozen men armed with clubs set upon a corporal in the colonial militia when he tried to execute a sentence on a man delinquent in his duty.
1.5 Computing Carry out an instruction or program.It executes program instructions, writes and reads information to or from memory, and accesses peripheral devices such as serial ports and disk controllers....
- Privilege Level means that the program can execute all CPU instructions.
- With Code Morphing, the translation process can be optimized by looking at the generated code and minimizing the number of instructions executed.
2Carry out a sentence of death on (a legally condemned person): he was convicted of treason and executed...
- Despite the proliferation of the death penalty for many new offences, less than half the people condemned to death were executed.
- If the case against them holds up, they are likely to become the next cause célèbre in the national debate over executing people who are sentenced to death while juveniles.
- Six hundred years to the day since he was executed for high treason, descendants of Archbishop Richard Scrope arrived from across the globe for a service at the city's cathedral to commemorate his life.
Synonyms
put to death, carry out a sentence of death on, kill;
hang, send to the gibbet, behead, guillotine, decapitate, electrocute, shoot, put before a firing squad, send to the gas chamber, garrotte, crucify, stone to death;
lynch;
North American send to the electric chair, send to the chair
informal string up
North American informal fry
in Turkey, historical bowstring
2.1Kill (someone) as a political act: he would be executed if he fell into rebel hands...
- It is unclear how many of the seven soldiers were executed, rather than killed in fighting, as the authorities contend.
- The administration is trying to frame a guilty man and lead a lynch mob to execute him.
- Party members routinely lynch and execute their opponents without trial.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French executer, from medieval Latin executare, from Latin exsequi 'follow up, punish', from ex- 'out' + sequi 'follow'.