- 1[usually passive] execute somebody (for something) to kill someone, especially as a legal punishment He was executed for treason. The prisoners were executed by firing squad.
- 2execute something (formal) to do a piece of work, perform a duty, put a plan into action, etc. They drew up and executed a plan to reduce fuel consumption. The crime was very cleverly executed. Check that the computer has executed your commands.
- 3execute something (formal) to successfully perform a skillful action or movement The pilot executed a perfect landing.
- 4execute something (formal) to make or produce a work of art Picasso also executed several landscapes at Horta de San Juan.
- 5execute something (law) to follow the instructions in a legal document; to make a document legally valid His will was executed by his lawyers in 2008.
execute
verbNAmE//ˈɛksəˌkyut//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they execute he / she / it executes
past simple executed
-ing form executing
Check pronunciation: execute