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: Printed [by Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […] [a]nd by Robert Boulter […] [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: The Text Exactly Reproduced from the First Edition of 1667: […], 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

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

   The program executed, but data problems were discovered.

Synonyms

• (computing): start, launch, run, open

Related terms

• executable
• execution
• executioner
• executive
• executor
• executed
• 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)
• 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)
• Portuguese: executar (pt)
• Quechua: hayratachiy
• Romanian: executa (ro)
• Russian: казни́ть (ru) impf or pf (kaznítʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: 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:

  Sorani: بردن بەڕێوە‎ (ku) (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: izvŕšiti (sh), pròvesti (sh)
• Slovene: izvršiti
• Spanish: ejecutar (es)
• Swedish: verkställa (sv), expediera (sv), utföra (sv)

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

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)

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

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, ela, also used with tu and você^?) 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.