ENGLISH
REFERENCE

execute

v.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˈɛksəkˌjut// UK //ˈɛksɪkjˌuːt// ex·e·cute

v. to carry out a plan, a task, or a computer program. It can also mean to kill someone as a legal punishment.

v. to carry out or put into effect a plan, order, or course of action; in computing, to run a program or command. Also used to describe the carrying out of a judicial death sentence.


SIMPLE

The team worked hard to execute the project on time.

CONTEXTUAL

The computer will execute the script automatically every night at midnight to back up the data.

COMPLEX

While the strategy was theoretically sound, the management failed to execute it effectively, leading to significant losses during the first fiscal quarter.

Synonyms
Origin

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”).

Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object. In legal contexts, it can also refer to signing a document to make it valid.

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