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[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv], 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], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →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
1989 February 12, Escalating Peace: A Next Step To Resist Global Violence, “George Jarret”, in Gay Community News, volume 16, number 30, page 5:Affinity groups will plan and execute nonviolent actions to both symbolically and directly challenge weapons development.
- (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.
Translations
to kill as punishment
- Albanian: ekzekutoj (sq)
- Arabic: أَعْدَمَ (ʔaʕdama)
- Armenian: please add this translation if you can
- Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܡܲܡܝܸܬ݂ (mamyiṯ)
- Azerbaijani: edam etmək
- Belarusian: кара́ць сме́рцю impf (karácʹ smjércju), пакара́ць сме́рцю pf (pakarácʹ smjércju)
- Bulgarian: екзекути́рам impf or pf (ekzekutíram)
- Catalan: executar (ca)
- Chichewa: kufétsa
- 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), enrodar (es) (with a wheel)
- Swedish: avrätta (sv)
- Tagalog: ipapatay (tl)
- 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 (fi), 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)
- Irish: cuir i bhfeidhm
- 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)
- Irish: cuir i bhfeidhm
- 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)
- Icelandic: framkvæma
- Italian: lanciare (it)
- Norman: exétchuter
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: kjøre (no), eksekvere
- Nynorsk: køyre, eksekvere
- Persian: اجرایدن
- Polish: uruchomić (pl), wystartować (pl), 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