Meanings
nounexecution (countable and uncountable, plural executions)
plural executions
- countableuncountableThe act, manner or style of executing (actions, maneuvers, performances).
Already the poor man saw himself crowned by the might of his arm Emperor of Trebizond at least; and so, led away by the intense enjoyment he found in these pleasant fancies, he set himself forthwith to put his scheme into execution.
1885, John Ormsby, chapter 1, in Don Quixoteᵂⁱᵏⁱˢᵒᵘʳᶜᵉ, volume 1, translation of original by Miguel de Cervantes - countableuncountableThe state of being accomplished.
The mission's successful execution lifted the troops' morale.
- countableuncountableThe act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty, or actions so associated.
Efforts to unionize were routinely met with clubbings, shootings, jailings, blacklistings and executions, perpetrated not only by well-armed legions of company goons, but also by police officers, deputies, National Guardsmen and even regular soldiers.
2009 February 22, Kevin Baker, “Blood on the Street”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 25 Jan 2021 - countableuncountablelawThe formal process by which a contract is made valid and put into binding effect.
- countableuncountablecomputingThe carrying out of an instruction, program or program segment by a computer.
The entire machine slowed down during the execution of the virus checker.
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
nounputting a condemned person to death
Broader
nounthe act of performing; of doing something successfully; using knowledge as distinguished from merely possessing it
Similar
Broader
noun(computer science) the process of carrying out an instruction by a computer
Similar
instruction execution
Broader
processphysical process
noun(law) the completion of a legal instrument (such as a contract or deed) by signing it (and perhaps sealing and delivering it) so that it becomes legally binding and enforceable
Similar
execution of instrument
Broader
nouna routine court order that attempts to enforce the judgment that has been granted to a plaintiff by authorizing a sheriff to carry it out
Similar
Broader
nounthe act of accomplishing some aim or executing some order
Similar
Broader
noununlawful premeditated killing of a human being by a human being
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinexsecutiō
- Old Frenchexecution
- Englishexecution
From Old French execution (c.1360), from Latin exsecutiō, an agent noun from exsequor (“to follow out”), from ex (“out”) + sequor (“follow”). Equivalent to execute + -ion.
More words from Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans uitvoering, uitvoering
- uitvoeringmanner or style of a performance etc
- uitvoeringact of executing or the state of being executed
- teregstellingact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- uitvoeringcarrying into effect of a court judgment, or of a will
- uitvoeringcarrying out of an instruction by a computer
Arabic تَنْفِيذ, إِعْدَام
- تَنْفِيذ (tanfīḏ)act of executing or the state of being executed
- إِعْدَام (ʔiʕdām)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Bulgarian изпълне́ние, изпълне́ние
- изпълне́ние (izpălnénie)manner or style of a performance etc
- изпълне́ние (izpălnénie)act of executing or the state of being executed
- екзеку́ция (ekzekúcija)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- изпълне́ние (izpălnénie)carrying into effect of a court judgment, or of a will
- изпълне́ние (izpălnénie)carrying out of an instruction by a computer
Catalan execució, execució
- execuciómanner or style of a performance etc
- execucióact of executing or the state of being executed
- execucióact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Chinese Mandarin 執行 /执行, 實行 /实行
- 執行 /执行 (zhíxíng)act of executing or the state of being executed
- 實行 /实行 (shíxíng)act of executing or the state of being executed
- 處死 /处死 (chǔsǐ)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- 處決 /处决 (chǔjué)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- 死刑 (sǐxíng)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Czech provedení, provedení
- provedenímanner or style of a performance etc
- provedeníact of executing or the state of being executed
- popravaact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- vykonánícarrying into effect of a court judgment, or of a will
- provedenícarrying out of an instruction by a computer
Danish henrettelse
- henrettelseact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Dutch uitvoering, uitvoering
- uitvoeringmanner or style of a performance etc
- uitvoeringact of executing or the state of being executed
- executieact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- terechtstellingact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- doodstrafact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- tenuitvoerleggingcarrying into effect of a court judgment, or of a will
- uitvoeringcarrying into effect of a court judgment, or of a will
- uitvoeringcarrying out of an instruction by a computer
Estonian hukkamine
- hukkamineact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Finnish toteutus, toimeenpano
- toteutusmanner or style of a performance etc
- toimeenpanoact of executing or the state of being executed
- toteutusact of executing or the state of being executed
- suoritusact of executing or the state of being executed
- teloitusact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- täytäntöönpanocarrying into effect of a court judgment, or of a will
- toimeenpanocarrying into effect of a court judgment, or of a will
- toimeenpanoformal process by which a contract is made valid and put into binding effect
- suorituscarrying out of an instruction by a computer
French exécution, exécution
- exécutionact of executing or the state of being executed
- exécutionact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- exécutioncarrying into effect of a court judgment, or of a will
- exécutioncarrying out of an instruction by a computer
German Ausführung, Hinrichtung
- Ausführungact of executing or the state of being executed
- Hinrichtungact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- Exekutionact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- Ausführungcarrying into effect of a court judgment, or of a will
- Ausführungcarrying out of an instruction by a computer
Greek εκτέλεση, εκτέλεση
- εκτέλεση (ektélesi)manner or style of a performance etc
- εκτέλεση (ektélesi)act of executing or the state of being executed
- εκτέλεση (ektélesi)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- εκτέλεση (ektélesi)carrying into effect of a court judgment, or of a will
- εκτέλεση (ektélesi)formal process by which a contract is made valid and put into binding effect
- εκτέλεση (ektélesi)carrying out of an instruction by a computer
Hebrew הוֹצָאָה לְהוֹרֵג
- הוֹצָאָה לְהוֹרֵג (hotsaá lehorég)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Hindi निष्पादन, अमल
- निष्पादन (niṣpādan)act of executing or the state of being executed
- अमल (amal)act of executing or the state of being executed
- कार्यान्वयन (kāryānvayan)act of executing or the state of being executed
- कार्यान्वयन (kāryānvayan)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Hungarian végrehajtás, kivitelezés
- végrehajtásact of executing or the state of being executed
- kivitelezésact of executing or the state of being executed
- megvalósításact of executing or the state of being executed
- kivégzésact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- végrehajtáscarrying into effect of a court judgment, or of a will
Icelandic aftaka, líflát
- aftakaact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- líflátact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Irish bású
- básúact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Italian esecuzione, esecuzione
- esecuzioneact of executing or the state of being executed
- esecuzioneact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Japanese 実行, 執行
- 実行 (jikkō)act of executing or the state of being executed
- 執行 (shikkō)act of executing or the state of being executed
- 死刑 (shikei)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- 死罪 (shizai)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- 処刑 (shokei)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- 実行 (jikkō)carrying out of an instruction by a computer
Korean 실행, 집행
- 실행 (silhaeng)act of executing or the state of being executed
- 집행 (jiphaeng)act of executing or the state of being executed
- 사형 (sahyeong)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- 실행 (silhaeng)carrying out of an instruction by a computer
Latin functiō, exsecūtiō
- functiōact of executing or the state of being executed
- exsecūtiōact of executing or the state of being executed
- carnificīnaact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Latvian sodīšana ar nāvi, nāves soda izpildīšana
- sodīšana ar nāviact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- nāves soda izpildīšanaact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- eksekūcijaact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Lithuanian egzekucija
- egzekucijaact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Malay hukuman mati
- hukuman matiact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Māori whakamatenga
- whakamatengaact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Norwegian Bokmål henrettelse
- henrettelseact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Polish wykonanie, wykonanie
- wykonaniemanner or style of a performance etc
- wykonanieact of executing or the state of being executed
- egzekucjaact of executing or the state of being executed
- egzekucjaact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- egzekucjacarrying into effect of a court judgment, or of a will
- wykonanieformal process by which a contract is made valid and put into binding effect
- egzekucjaformal process by which a contract is made valid and put into binding effect
Portuguese execução, execução
- execuçãomanner or style of a performance etc
- execuçãoact of executing or the state of being executed
- execuçãoact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- execuçãocarrying into effect of a court judgment, or of a will
- execuçãoformal process by which a contract is made valid and put into binding effect
- execuçãocarrying out of an instruction by a computer
Romanian execuție, execuție
- execuțiemanner or style of a performance etc
- execuțieact of executing or the state of being executed
- execuțieact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- execuțiecarrying out of an instruction by a computer
Russian исполне́ние, те́хника
- исполне́ние (ispolnénije)manner or style of a performance etc
- те́хника (téxnika)manner or style of a performance etc
- выполне́ние (vypolnénije)act of executing or the state of being executed
- исполне́ние (ispolnénije)act of executing or the state of being executed
- казнь (kaznʹ)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- экзеку́ция (ekzɛkúcija)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- расстре́л (rasstrél)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- исполне́ние (ispolnénije)carrying into effect of a court judgment, or of a will
- выполне́ние (vypolnénije)formal process by which a contract is made valid and put into binding effect
- исполне́ние (ispolnénije)formal process by which a contract is made valid and put into binding effect
- выполне́ние (vypolnénije)carrying out of an instruction by a computer
Slovak prevedenie, poprava
- prevedenieact of executing or the state of being executed
- popravaact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Spanish ejecución, ejecución
- ejecuciónmanner or style of a performance etc
- ejecuciónact of executing or the state of being executed
- ejecuciónact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- ajusticiamientoact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- suplicioact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Swedish avrättning
- avrättningact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Tagalog pagpapatupad, pagsasagawa
- pagpapatupadact of executing or the state of being executed
- pagsasagawaact of executing or the state of being executed
- pagpapapatayact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Turkish işletim, idam
- işletimact of executing or the state of being executed
- idamact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- ölüm cezasıact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Ukrainian викона́ння, ви́конання
- викона́ння (vykonánnja)act of executing or the state of being executed
- ви́конання (výkonannja)act of executing or the state of being executed
- стра́та (stráta)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- ка́ра на смерть (kára na smertʹ)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- екзеку́ція (ekzekúcija)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
- ро́зстріл (rózstril)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Vietnamese tử hình
- tử hìnhact of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Yiddish עקזעקוציע
- עקזעקוציע (ekzekutsye)act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with execution
solutiondistributionresolutionevolutioninstitutioncontributionconstitutionrevolutionpollutionprosecutionsubstitutionattributionpersecutiondissolutionprostitutiondilutionrestitutionretributionBelarusianconvolutionAleutianLuciandiminutionabsolution
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
execution. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/execution
MLA
“execution.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/execution. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “execution,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/execution.
Source: execution on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.