execute

execute

See also: exécuté and exécute

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/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Verb

execute (third-person singular simple present executes, present participle executing, simple past and past participle executed)

1. (transitive) To kill, especially as punishment for a capital crime.
   • 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 606515358, [Act II, scene iv], page 104, column 1:

     Was not thy Father, Richard, Earle of Cambridge, / For Treaſon executed in our late Kings dayes?

   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.

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.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:

     Why delays / His hand to execute what his decree / Fixed on this day?

3. (transitive) To perform.

   to execute a difficult piece of music brilliantly

   to execute a turn in ballet

4. (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

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

   to execute a program

   Synonyms: start, launch, run, open

6. (intransitive, computing) To run, usually successfully.

   The program executed, but data problems were discovered.

Derived terms

• executable
• executed
• execute order
• execution
• executioner
• executive
• executor

 

• See also Thesaurus:kill

Translations

to kill as punishment

Albanian: please add this translation if you can Arabic: أَعْدَمَ‎ (ʾaʿdama) 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) Hungarian: kivégez (hu) 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) Zazaki: idam kerden, dard kerden

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 impf (vykónuvaty), ви́конати pf (výkonaty)

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 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 impf (vykónuvaty), ви́конати pf (výkonaty)

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)

to sign or otherwise cause a document (especially a contract) to become legally valid

Catalan: executar (ca) Finnish: saattaa voimaan Russian: подпи́сывать (ru) impf (podpísyvatʹ), подписа́ть (ru) pf (podpisátʹ)

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Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ek.seˈkuː.te/, [ɛks̠ɛˈkuːt̪ɛ]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ek.seˈku.te/, [eɡzeˈkuːt̪e]

Participle

execūte

1. vocative masculine singular of execūtus

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Portuguese

Verb

execute

1. inflection of executar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

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Spanish

Verb

execute

1. inflection of executar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative