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 as punishment for capital crimes.

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

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 9”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, 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.

Related terms

• executable
• executed
• execution
• executioner
• executive
• executor

 

See also Thesaurus:kill

Translations

to kill as punishment

• Arabic: أَعْدَمَ‎ (ʾaʿdama)
• Azerbaijani: edam etmək
• Bulgarian: екзекутирам (ekzekutiram)
• Catalan: executar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 處決 (zh), 处决 (zh) (chǔjué), 處死 (zh), 处死 (zh) (chǔsǐ)

• Czech: popravit (cs)
• Dutch: executeren (nl)
• Esperanto: ekzekuti
• Estonian: hukama
• 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) (shokei suru), 消す (ja) (kesu) (slang)

• Latin: carnificō, ad necum mittō
• Maori: whakamate
• Norman: exétchuter
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: henrette (no)

• 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), pogùbiti (sh)

• Slovene: usmrtiti
• Spanish: ejecutar (es), ajusticiar (es)
• Swedish: avrätta (sv)
• Thai: ประหาร (th) (bprà-hǎan)
• Ukrainian: страчувати impf (stračuvaty), стратити pf (stratyty)
• Volapük: cödetadeidön (vo)

to start a defined process and run it to completion

• Arabic: ينفذ‎
• Bulgarian: изпълнявам (bg) (izpǎlnjavam), извършвам (bg) (izvǎršvam)
• Catalan: executar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 執行 (zh), 执行 (zh) (zhíxíng), 運行 (zh), 运行 (zh) (yùnxíng)

• Danish: afvikle, udføre, eksekvere
• Dutch: bewerkstelligen (nl), uitvoeren (nl)
• Finnish: toteuttaa (fi), panna toimeen, panna täytäntöön
• Georgian: შესრულება (šesruleba), ასრულება (asruleba), სისრულეში მოყვანა (sisruleši moq̇vana)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἐνεργέω (energéō)

• Hungarian: végrehajt (hu)
• Ido: exekutar (io)
• Japanese: 実行する (ja) (jikkō suru), 行う (ja) (okonau)
• Khmer: ប្រតិបត្តិ (km) (prɑte’bat)

• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: بردن بەڕێوە‎ (birdin berrêwe)

• Latin: fungor (la)
• Maori: whakahaere
• 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)

• Slovene: izvršiti
• 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: ينفذ‎
• 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: выполнять (ru) impf (vypolnjatʹ), исполнять (ru) impf (ispolnjatʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: cuir an gnìomh
• Ukrainian: вико́нувати impf (vykónuvaty)

to start, launch or run software

• Arabic: ينفذ‎
• Bulgarian: изпълнявам (bg) (izpǎlnjavam)
• 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: اجرا‎ (fa) (ejrâ)
• Polish: uruchomić (pl), wystartować, wykonać (pl)
• Portuguese: executar (pt), rodar (pt)
• Romanian: executa (ro)
• Russian: прогонять (ru) impf (progonjatʹ), выполнять (ru) impf (vypolnjatʹ), запускать (ru) impf (zapuskatʹ)
• 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: подписывать (ru) impf (podpisyvatʹ), подписать (ru) pf (podpisatʹ)

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Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ek.seˈkuː.te/, [ɛk.s̠ɛˈkuː.t̪ɛ]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ek.seˈku.te/, [ɛk.sɛˈkuː.t̪ɛ]

Participle

execūte

1. vocative masculine singular of execūtus

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Portuguese

Verb

execute

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of executar
2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of executar
3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of executar
4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of executar

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Spanish

Verb

execute

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of executar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of executar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of executar.
4. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of executar.