execute

See also: exécuté and exécute

English

Etymology

From Old French executer (French exécuter), from Latin exsecutus, past participle of exsequor (“to follow (up/through)”, particularly in the sense “to go through with a deed or punishment”), from ex- (“out”) + sequor (“to follow”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛksɪˌkjuːt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ex‧e‧cute

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.

   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?

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], 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?

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.

   Synonyms: start, launch, run, open

   to execute a program

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: ekzekutoj (sq)
• Arabic: أَعْدَمَ (ʔaʕdama)
• 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)

• 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)
• 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

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)

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)

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, 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)

Latin

Pronunciation

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

Participle

execūte

1. vocative masculine singular of execūtus

Portuguese

Verb

execute

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

Spanish

Verb

execute

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