perform

perform

discharge, execute, transact; carry out; act, play, or sing: The rock star performs before an audience of thousands each time he appears.; fulfill a command: perform one’s duties

Not to be confused with:

preform – to shape or fashion beforehand; to decide beforehand: preform an opinion

Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

per·form

 (pər-fôrm′)

v. per·formed, per·form·ing, per·forms

v.tr.

1. To begin and carry through to completion; do: The surgeon performed the operation.

2. To take action in accordance with the requirements of; fulfill: perform one's contractual obligations.

3.

a. To enact (a feat or role) before an audience.

b. To give a public presentation of; present: My theater group performed a three-act play.

v.intr.

1. To function or accomplish something as expected or required: a car that performs well on curves; workers not performing up to standard.

2. To yield a return on investment: stocks that performed well.

3. To portray a role or demonstrate a skill before an audience: The juggler performed atop a unicycle.

4. To present a dramatic or musical work or other entertainment before an audience.

---

[Middle English performen, from Anglo-Norman performer, from Old French parfornir : par-, intensive pref. (from Latin per-, per-) + fournir, to furnish; see furnish.]

---

per·form′a·ble adj.

per·form′er n.

Synonyms: perform, execute, accomplish, achieve
These verbs signify to carry through to completion. To perform is to carry out an action, undertaking, or procedure, often with great skill or care. The ship's captain performed the wedding ceremony. Laser experiments are performed regularly in the laboratory.
Execute implies performing a task or putting something into effect in accordance with a plan or design: "To execute laws is a royal office; to execute orders is not to be a king" (Edmund Burke).
Accomplish connotes the successful completion of something, often of something that requires tenacity or talent: "Make one brave push and see what can be accomplished in a week" (Robert Louis Stevenson).
To achieve is to accomplish something, often something significant, especially despite difficulty: "Some are born great ... Some achieve greatness ... And some have greatness thrust upon them" (Shakespeare).

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

perform

(pəˈfɔːm)

vb

1. to carry out or do (an action)

2. (tr) to fulfil or comply with: to perform someone's request.

3. to present or enact (a play, concert, etc) before or otherwise entertain an audience: the group performed Hamlet.

4. (intr) informal to accomplish sexual intercourse: he performed well.

[C14: from Anglo-Norman perfourmer (influenced by forme form), from Old French parfournir, from par- per- + fournir to provide; see furnish]

perˈformable adj

perˌformaˈbility n

perˈformer n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

per•form

(pərˈfɔrm)

v.t.

1. to carry out; execute; do: to perform surgery.

2. to execute in the proper, customary, or established manner: to perform a marriage ceremony.

3. to carry into effect; fulfill: to perform a contract.

4. to act (a play, part, etc.), as on the stage.

5. to render (music), as by playing or singing.

6. to accomplish (an action involving skill or ability), as before an audience.

v.i.

7. to execute or do something; function.

8. to carry out or fulfill a command, promise, or contract.

9. to give a performance, esp. before an audience.

10. to engage in the performing arts, esp. professionally.

[1250–1300; Middle English parformen < Anglo-French parformer, alter. (by association with forme form) of Middle French, Old French parfournir to accomplish]

per•form′er, n.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

perform

Past participle: performed
Gerund: performing

Imperative

perform

perform

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	perform - carry out or perform an action; "John did the painting, the weeding, and he cleaned out the gutters"; "the skater executed a triple pirouette"; "she did a little dance" do, execute click off - perform or finish an action rapidly; "The game was clicked off in 1:48" carry - sing or play against other voices or parts; "He cannot carry a tune" pipe up - begin to play or sing declaim, recite - recite in elocution serenade - sing and play for somebody; "She was serenaded by her admirers" cut corners - do something the cheapest or easiest way; "Cut corners to make a cheaper product" stunt - perform a stunt or stunts cut - perform or carry out; "cut a caper" blaze away - perform (an acting passage) brilliantly and rapidly; "Mr. Jones blazed away in one passage after another to loud applause" scamp - perform hastily and carelessly churn out - perform in a mechanical way premier, premiere - perform a work for the first time star - be the star in a performance appear - appear as a character on stage or appear in a play, etc.; "Gielgud appears briefly in this movie"; "She appeared in `Hamlet' on the London stage" practise, rehearse, practice - engage in a rehearsal (of) ad-lib, extemporise, improvise, improvize, extemporize - perform without preparation; "he extemporized a speech at the wedding" interpret, render - give an interpretation or rendition of; "The pianist rendered the Beethoven sonata beautifully" conduct, direct, lead - lead, as in the performance of a composition; "conduct an orchestra; Barenboim conducted the Chicago symphony for years" make - perform or carry out; "make a decision"; "make a move"; "make advances"; "make a phone call"
	2.	perform - perform a function; "Who will perform the wedding?" church - perform a special church rite or service for; "church a woman after childbirth" act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel" officiate - act in an official capacity in a ceremony or religious ritual, such as a wedding; "Who officiated at your wedding?"
	3.	perform - give a performance (of something); "Horowitz is performing at Carnegie Hall tonight"; "We performed a popular Gilbert and Sullivan opera" performing arts - arts or skills that require public performance barnstorm - tour the country making political speeches, giving lectures, or presenting plays; "The presidential candidates are busy barnstorming this month" barnstorm - appear at county fairs and carnivals as a stunt flier and parachute jumper re-create - create anew; "Re-create the boom of the West on a small scale" interlude - perform an interlude; "The guitar player interluded with a beautiful improvisation" grandstand - perform ostentatiously in order to impress the audience and with an eye to the applause; "She never misses a chance to grandstand" solo - perform a piece written for a single instrument play out - perform or be performed to the end; "How will the election drama be played out?" underperform - perform too rarely; "Her plays are underperformed, although they are very good" sightread, sight-read - perform music from a score without having seen the score before; "He is a brilliant pianist but he cannot sightread" rap - perform rap music give - perform for an audience; "Pollini is giving another concert in New York" concertise, concertize - give concerts; perform in concerts; "My niece is off concertizing in Europe" play - perform on a certain location; "The prodigy played Carnegie Hall at the age of 16"; "She has been playing on Broadway for years" debut - make one's debut; "This young soprano debuts next month at the Metropolitan Opera" audition, try out - perform in order to get a role; "She auditioned for a role on Broadway" playact, roleplay, act, play - perform on a stage or theater; "She acts in this play"; "He acted in `Julius Caesar'"; "I played in `A Christmas Carol'" play - play on an instrument; "The band played all night long" conduct - lead musicians in the performance of; "Bernstein conducted Mahler like no other conductor"; "she cannot conduct modern pieces"
	4.	perform - get (something) done; "I did my job" do accomplish, carry out, carry through, fulfil, fulfill, action, execute - put in effect; "carry out a task"; "execute the decision of the people"; "He actioned the operation" overachieve - perform better or achieve a greater degree of success than expected; "His daughter always overachieves" turn - accomplish by rotating; "turn a somersault"; "turn cartwheels" underachieve, underperform - perform less well or with less success than expected; "John consistently underachieves, although he is very able"; "My stocks underperformed last year" misdo - do wrongly or improperly; "misdo one's job" do one's best, give full measure, give one's best, go all out - perform a task as well as possible; "The cast gives full measure every night" ply - apply oneself diligently; "Ply one's trade"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

perform

verb

1. do, achieve, carry out, effect, complete, satisfy, observe, fulfil, accomplish, execute, bring about, pull off, act out, transact people who have performed outstanding acts of bravery

2. fulfil, carry out, execute, discharge Each part of the engine performs a different function.

3. present, act (out), stage, play, produce, represent, put on, render, depict, enact, appear as students performing Shakespeare's Macbeth

4. appear on stage, act He began performing in the early fifties.

5. function, go, work, run, operate, handle, respond, behave This car performs well.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

perform

verb

1. To begin and carry through to completion:

do, execute, prosecute.

Informal: pull off.

2. To react in a specified way:

act, behave, function, operate, work.

3. To carry out the functions, requirements, or terms of:

discharge, do, execute, exercise, fulfill, implement, keep.

Idiom: live up to.

4. To play the part of:

act, do, enact, impersonate, play, play-act, portray, represent.

5. To produce on the stage:

act (out), do, dramatize, enact, give, present, put on, stage.

6. To make music:

play.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

يُؤَدِّييُمَثِّليُنْجِز، يُؤَدّي

provésthrát

udførefremførespille

auftretenausführendurchführenspielenverbringen

εκτελώπραγματοποιώ

actuarejecutarinterpretarrealizarrepresentar

esittääsuorittaa

réaliserjoueroffrirparaîtreperformer

izvršavati

flytja, leika, sÿnaframkvæma

eseguireesibirsirecitarecompiere

行う

수행하다

dainuotigrotipasiekimairezultatai

atskaņotizpildītuzstātiesuzvestveikt

opvoerenuitvoerenverrichten

gjennomføremedvirke

wykonać

realizar

выполнятьисполнять

izvajatiizvestiodrezati se

uppträda

ทำ

çalmakoynamaksöylemekyapmakyerine getirmek

thực hiện

执行演出履行

perform

[pəˈfɔːm]

A. VT

1. (Theat, Mus) [+ play] → representar; [+ part, piece, song, dance] → interpretar
it meant a lot to her to have her music performed here → significó mucho para ella el que interpretaran su música aquí
she will perform a series of sonatas by Mozart → interpretará or ejecutará varias sonatas de Mozart

2. (= carry out) [+ task, experiment, feat] → realizar, llevar a cabo; [+ operation, autopsy] → practicar, realizar, llevar a cabo; [+ duty] → cumplir con; [+ function, role] → desempeñar, cumplir; [+ rite, ritual, ceremony] → celebrar; [+ miracle] → realizar, hacer
they performed a great service to their country → prestaron un gran servicio a su país
to perform surgery or an operation on sb → operar a algn, practicar una operación quirúrgica a algn (frm)

B. VI

1. (Theat, Mus) [entertainer, actor] → actuar; [musician] → tocar; [orchestra, pop group] → actuar, tocar; [singer] → cantar; [dancer] → bailar; [trained animal] → hacer trucos, realizar trucos
he performed brilliantly as Hamlet → interpretó brillantemente el papel de Hamlet, se lució en el papel de Hamlet
the band will be performing live → el grupo actuará or tocará en concierto
and performing for us tonight on the violin is Rebecca Hunt → y esta noche Rebecca Hunt nos tocará el violín

2. (= respond, behave) [vehicle, machine] → responder, funcionar; [team, athlete, horse] → responder; [investment, shares] → rendir; [metal, material] → comportarse; [worker] (= be productive) → rendir; (= react) → responder
how did the company perform last year? → ¿qué resultados dio la empresa el año pasado?
the party performed abysmally at the last election → el partido obtuvo unos resultados pésimos en las últimas elecciones
he performed well at school → rendía en los estudios
he did not perform very well in his exams → no obtuvo muy buenos resultados en los exámenes, los exámenes no le salieron muy bien
our economy has been performing well recently → últimamente, nuestra economía ha estado produciendo buenos resultados

3. (= go to toilet) [child, dog] → hacer sus menesteres

4. (sexually) → cumplir

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

perform

[pə^rˈfɔː^rm]

vt

(= carry out) [+ task] → effectuer; [action] → accomplir
About 200 heart operations a year are performed at the hospital → Environ 200 opérations cardiaques sont effectuées chaque année à l'hôpital.
people who have performed outstanding acts of bravery → des gens qui ont accompli de remarquables actes de bravoure
to perform miracles (fig) → accomplir des miracles

[+ play, piece of music] → interpréter; [+ dance] → exécuter
He performed a traditional Scottish dance → Il a exécuté une danse traditionnelle écossaise.
This play was first performed in 411 BC → Cette pièce a été interprétée pour la première fois en 411 av. J. -C.

vi

(= acquit oneself) [person, team, organization] → se comporter
to perform well → bien se comporter
Although she had never been interviewed on TV before, she performed well → Bien qu'elle n'ait jamais été interviewée à la télé auparavant, elle s'est bien comportée.
England performed well against France at Wembley → L'Angleterre s'est bien comportée face à la France à Wembley.
The tables give a picture of how schools are performing → Les tableaux donnent un panorama des performances des écoles.
He had not performed well in his exams → Il n'avait pas bien réussi ses examens.

[car, machine] → se comporter
How well does this car perform in snow and ice? → Comment cette voiture se comporte-t-elle sur la neige et la glace?

[musician, actor, entertainer] → se produire
He was the first blues musician to perform there → Il a été le premier musicien de blues à se produire ici.

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

perform

vt play, concerto → aufführen; solo, duet → vortragen; part → spielen; trick → vorführen; miracle → vollbringen; task → verrichten, erfüllen; duty, function → erfüllen; operation → durchführen; ritual, ceremony → vollziehen

vi

(= appear: orchestra, circus act etc) → auftreten; to perform on the violin → Geige spielen

(car, machine, football team etc) → leisten; (examination candidate etc) → abschneiden; the 2 litre version performs better → die Zweiliterversion leistet mehr; the car performed excellently in the speed trials → in den Geschwindigkeitsversuchen brachte der Wagen ausgezeichnete Ergebnisse; the choir performed very well → der Chor war sehr gut or hat sehr gut gesungen; this car performs best between 50 and 60 kmph → dieser Wagen bringt seine optimale Leistung zwischen 50 und 60 Stundenkilometern; how did he perform? (actor, musician) → wie war er?; how did the car perform? → wie ist der Wagen gelaufen?; he performed brilliantly as Hamlet → er spielte die Rolle des Hamlet brillant; how does the metal perform under pressure? → wie verhält sich das Metall unter Druck?; the shares are performing strongly → die Aktien steigen stark; he couldn’t perform (euph, sexually) → er konnte nicht

(euph: = excrete) → sein Geschäft verrichten

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

perform

[pəˈfɔːm]

1. vt

a. (function, task) → svolgere, eseguire; (duty) → adempiere a; (miracles, experiments) → fare, compiere; (ceremony) → celebrare
to perform an operation (Med) → operare

b. (play, ballet, opera) → rappresentare; (duet, symphony) → eseguire, suonare; (acrobatics) → fare

2. vi

a. (theatre company) → dare una rappresentazione; (person) → esibirsi

b. (vehicle, machine, also) (fig) (student) → comportarsi
if you want a car that performs really well ... → se volete una macchina che dia ottime prestazioni...

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

perform

(pəˈfoːm) verb

1. to do, especially with care or as a duty. The doctor performed the operation. verrig يُنْجِز، يُؤَدّي изпълнявам executar provést durch-, ausführen udføre εκτελώ, εκπληρώνωrealizar, efectuar, ejecutar sooritama انجام دادن suorittaa exécuter לְבָצֵע करना izvršiti véghezvisz melakukan framkvæma eseguire 行う 수행하다 atlikti, įvykdyti izpildīt; veikt menjalankan uitvoerenutføre, foreta dokonywać, wykonywać تر سره كول، تمامول پاى ته رسول، په سررسول، اجراء كول executar a face выполнять, делать urobiť, uskutočniť izvesti izvesti utföra ปฏิบัติหน้าที่ yerine getirmek 執行，履行 виконувати انجام دينا tiến hành 执行，履行

2. to act (in the theatre etc) or do anything musical, theatrical etc to entertain an audience. The company will perform a Greek play; She performed on the violin. optree يُمَثِّل играя representar (za)hrát, provést spielen fremføre; spille ερμηνεύω, υποδύομαιrepresentar esitama اجرا کردن؛ نواختن esittää jouer לְשָׂחֵק अभिनय करना, प्रदर्शित करना izvesti előad memainkan flytja, leika, sÿna eseguire, rappresentare 演じる 공연하다 groti, vaidinti, dainuoti, šokti uzvest (lugu); atskaņot; uzstāties membuat persembahan optreden, opvoerenopptre, medvirke, spillewystawić, zagrać اجراء كول representar a interpreta; a cânta исполнять, играть hrať izvajati izvoditi framföra, uppföra, ge, spela แสดงดนตรีหรือภาพยนตร์ oynamak, çalmak, söylemek 演出 грати, ставити اداکاري کرنا biểu diễn 演出

perˈformance noun

1. the doing of something. He is very conscientious in the performance of his duties. verrigting تأدِيَه изпълнение desempenho výkon, plnění die Ausführung udførelse εκτέλεση, εκπλήρωσηrealización, ejecución, cumplimiento täitmine, teostamine انجام suoritus exécutionביצוע प्रदर्शन izvođenje, izvedba teljesítés unjuk kerja framkvæmd esecuzione, adempimento 遂行 수행, 이행 atlikimas, vykdymas izpilde; veikšana pelaksanaan uitvoeringutførelse, innsats, prestasjon wykonywanie اجراء، سرته رسونه: ښودنه ( نمايش): كارنامه desempenho îndeplinire выполнение vykonávanie, plnenie izvrševanje izvršavanje utförande, verkställande การกระทำ yapma, uygulama 執行，履行 виконання انجام دہي sự thực hiện 执行，履行

2. the way in which something or someone performs. His performance in the exams was not very good. prestasie أداء изпълнение atuação chování, vystoupení die Leistung indsats απόδοση, επίδοσηresultado, desempeño esitus عملکرد suoriutuminen performanceביצוע पालन, निष्पादन predstavljanje teljesítmény pekerjaan frammistaða esecuzione, resa 出来 성적 (veiklos) rezultatai, pasiekimai sniegums; rezultāts prestasi prestatieinnsats, ytelse funkcjonowanie, osiągnięcia كارنامه actuação performanţă поведение správanie, vystúpenie nastop rad prestation ผลงาน başarım, performans 成績 дія; вчинок کارکردگي sự thực hiện 成绩

3. something done on stage etc. The company gave a performance of `Othello'; His last three performances have not been very good. opvoering تَمْثيل представление representação představení die Vorstellung opførelse παράστασηrepresentación, actuación esinemine اجرا esitys représentationהצגה मंचन izvedbeno djelo, nastp előadás pertunjukan sÿning, flutningur, leikur rappresentazione 上演 공연 vaidinimas izrāde; uzstāšanās persembahan voorstelling, optredenforestilling, opptredenwystęp, przedstawienie اجراء representação repre­zentaţie представление, спектакль predstavenie predstava izvođenje föreställning การแสดงบนเวที oyun, konser, program 表演 вистава اداکاري cuộc biểu diễn 表演

perˈformer noun

a person who performs, especially theatrically or musically. opvoerder مُؤَدٍّ، فَنّان في الموسيقى أو التَّمْثيل изпълнител artista účinkující der/die Schauspieler(in) skuespiller; musiker ερμηνευτής ρόλου, μουσικού κομματιού κτλ. σε παράσταση artista, intérprete esineja اجرا کننده؛ نوازنده esittäjä interprèteשחקן पालक, निष्पादक, कर्त्ता, अभिनेता vršilac, umjetnik koji nastupa (előadó)művész pemain flytjandi esecutore, esecutrice; attore, attrice; artista 演奏者 실행자, 연예인 atlikėjas aktieris; izpildītājmākslinieks penghibur artiestutøver, artist, skuespiller, musiker odtwórca تماموونكى، تر سره كوونكى artista interpret исполнитель, артист účinkujúci izvajalec izvođač aktör, skådespelare, utövare นักแสดง icracı, sanatçı, oyuncu 執行者，表演者 виконавець اداکار người biểu diễn 执行者，表演者

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

perform

→ يُؤَدِّي provést udføre durchführen πραγματοποιώ actuar suorittaa réaliser izvršavati eseguire 行う 수행하다 uitvoeren gjennomføre wykonać realizar выполнять uppträda ทำ yapmak thực hiện 执行

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

perform

v. llevar a cabo, realizar, hacer;

to ___ an operation → operar, intervenir quirúrgicamente.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012