ex·e·cu·tion

(ĕk′sĭ-kyo͞o′shən)

a. The act of executing something.

b. The state of being executed.

2. The manner, style, or result of performance: The plan was sound; its execution, faulty.

3. The act or an instance of putting to death or being put to death as a lawful penalty.

4. Law

a. The carrying into effect of a court judgment.

b. A writ empowering an officer to enforce a judgment.

5. Archaic Effective, punitive, or destructive action.

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.

execution

(ˌɛksɪˈkjuːʃən)

1. the act or process of executing

2. (Law) the carrying out or undergoing of a sentence of death

3. the style or manner in which something is accomplished or performed; technique: as a pianist his execution is poor.

4. (Law)

a. the enforcement of the judgment of a court of law

b. the writ ordering such enforcement

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

ex•e•cu•tion

(ˌɛk sɪˈkyu ʃən)

n.

1. the act or process of executing.

2. the state or fact of being executed.

3. the infliction of capital punishment or, formerly, of any legal punishment.

4. the process of enforcing a court judgment.

5. a mode or style of performance; technical skill, as in music.

[1250–1300; Middle English < Latin]

ex`e•cu′tion•al, adj.

Execution

of officials: company of officers—Bk. of St. Albans, 1486.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	execution - putting a condemned person to death capital punishment, death penalty, executing corporal punishment - the infliction of physical injury on someone convicted of committing a crime burning at the stake, burning - execution by fire hanging - a form of capital punishment; victim is suspended by the neck from a gallows or gibbet until dead; "in those days the hanging of criminals was a public entertainment" electrocution, burning - execution by electricity beheading, decapitation - execution by cutting off the victim's head crucifixion - the act of executing by a method widespread in the ancient world; the victim's hands and feet are bound or nailed to a cross
	2.	execution - the act of performing; of doing something successfully; using knowledge as distinguished from merely possessing it; "they criticised his performance as mayor"; "experience generally improves performance" carrying into action, carrying out, performance action - something done (usually as opposed to something said); "there were stories of murders and other unnatural actions" specific performance - the performance of a legal contract as specified by its terms linguistic performance - (linguistics) a speaker's actual use of language in real situations; what the speaker actually says, including grammatical errors and other non-linguistic features such as hesitations and other disfluencies (contrasted with linguistic competence) mechanics, mechanism - the technical aspects of doing something; "a mechanism of social control"; "mechanisms of communication"; "the mechanics of prose style" officiation - the performance of a religious or ceremonial or public duty
	3.	execution - (computer science) the process of carrying out an instruction by a computer instruction execution physical process, process - a sustained phenomenon or one marked by gradual changes through a series of states; "events now in process"; "the process of calcification begins later for boys than for girls" computer science, computing - the branch of engineering science that studies (with the aid of computers) computable processes and structures batch processing - the serial execution of computer programs data processing - (computer science) a series of operations on data by a computer in order to retrieve or transform or classify information concurrent execution, multiprogramming - the execution of two or more computer programs by a single computer
	4.	execution - (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 execution of instrument subscription - the act of signing your name; writing your signature (as on a document); "the deed was attested by the subscription of his signature" law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"
	5.	execution - a routine court order that attempts to enforce the judgment that has been granted to a plaintiff by authorizing a sheriff to carry it out writ of execution court order - a writ issued by a court of law requiring a person to do something or to refrain from doing something law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"
	6.	execution - the act of accomplishing some aim or executing some order; "the agency was created for the implementation of the policy" carrying out, implementation enforcement - the act of enforcing; ensuring observance of or obedience to
	7.	execution - unlawful premeditated killing of a human being by a human being murder, slaying homicide - the killing of a human being by another human being assassination - murder of a public figure by surprise attack bloodshed, gore - the shedding of blood resulting in murder; "he avenged the bloodshed of his kinsmen" contract killing - a murder carried out on agreement with a hired killer parricide - the murder of your own father or mother mariticide - the murder of a husband by his wife fratricide - the murder of your sibling uxoricide - the murder of a wife by her husband filicide - the murder of your own son or daughter liquidation, elimination - the murder of a competitor carnage, mass murder, massacre, slaughter, butchery - the savage and excessive killing of many people lynching - putting a person to death by mob action without due process of law regicide - the act of killing a king dry-gulching - the act of killing from ambush hit - a murder carried out by an underworld syndicate; "it has all the earmarks of a Mafia hit" infanticide - murdering an infant shoot-down - murder by shooting someone down in cold blood tyrannicide - killing a tyrant thuggee - murder and robbery by thugs

execution

noun

1. killing, hanging, the death penalty, the rope, capital punishment, beheading, the electric chair, the guillotine, the noose, the scaffold, electrocution, decapitation, the firing squad, necktie party (informal) He was sentenced to execution by lethal injection.

2. carrying out, performance, operation, administration, achievement, effect, prosecution, rendering, discharge, enforcement, implementation, completion, accomplishment, realization, enactment, bringing off, consummation the unquestioning execution of his orders

3. performance, style, delivery, manner, technique, mode, presentation, rendition his masterly execution of a difficult piece

4. (Law) validation, signing, delivery, sealing legislation preventing the due execution of the contracts

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

execution

noun

1. The act of beginning and carrying through to completion:

discharge, effectuation, performance, prosecution.

2. One's artistic conception as shown by the way in which something such as a dramatic role or musical composition is rendered:

interpretation, performance, reading, realization, rendering, rendition.

Translations

إِعْدامإعْدامتَنْفيذ الإعْدام

popravaprovedenívykonání

henrettelseudførelseeffektuering

Hinrichtung Abarbeitung Ausführung Durchführung Exekution

εκτέλεση

ejecución fusilamiento

teloitustoimeenpanosuoritustäytäntöönpano

exécution

pogubljenje

kivégzéskivitelezésmegvalósításvégrehajtás

aftakaframkvæmd

esecuzione fucilazione realizzazione

処刑

실행

executie terechtstelling uitvoering doodstraf

henrettelse iverksetting utføring

wykonanie egzekucja

execução

казнь производство выполнение

poprava

usmrtitev

avrättning

การประหารชีวิต

idam uygulama

sự thi hành

处决处死刑执行

execution

[ˌeksɪˈkjuːʃən] N

1. (= putting to death) (gen) → ejecución f; (by firing squad) → fusilamiento m

2. (= carrying out) [of plan] → ejecución f; [of act, crime] → comisión f
in the execution of one's duty → en el cumplimiento de sus deberes

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

execution

[ˌɛksɪˈkjuːʃ^ən] n

(= killing) [person] → exécution f

(= carrying out) [policy, plan, idea] → réalisation f; [action] → mise f à exécution

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

execution

(= carrying out, of plan, order, task etc) → Durchführung f, → Ausführung f; (of movement, dance) → Ausführung f; (of duties) → Erfüllung f, → Wahrnehmung f; to put something into execution → etw ausführen; in the execution of his duties → bei der Ausübung seines Amtes

(Mus) → Vortrag m; (= musician’s skill) → Ausführung f; (Art) → Ausführung f

(as punishment) → Hinrichtung f, → Exekution f

(Jur, of will, judgement) → Vollstreckung f; (of contract) → Ausfertigung f; (= signing) → Unterschreiben nt

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

execution

[ˌɛksɪˈkjuːʃ/ən] n (see vb) → esecuzione f, attuazione f, realizzazione f
in the execution of one's duty → nell'adempimento del proprio dovere

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

execute

(ˈeksikjuːt) verb

1. to put to death by order of the law. After the war many traitors were executed.

2. to carry out (instructions etc).

3. to perform (a movement etc usually requiring skill).

ˌexeˈcution (-ʃən) noun

1. (an act of) killing by law. The judge ordered the execution of the murderer.

2. the act of executing (orders or skilled movements etc).

ˌexeˈcutioner noun

a person whose duty is to put to death condemned persons.

executive (igˈzekjutiv) adjective

1. (in a business organization etc) concerned with management. executive skills.

2. concerned with the carrying out of laws etc. executive powers.

noun

1. the branch of the government that puts the laws into effect.

2. a person or body of people in an organization etc that has power to direct or manage. He is an executive in an insurance company.

executor (igˈzekjutə) noun

a person appointed to see to the carrying out of what is stated in a will. His two brothers are the executors of his will.

execution

→ إِعْدام poprava henrettelse Hinrichtung εκτέλεση ejecución teloitus exécution pogubljenje esecuzione 処刑 실행 executie henrettelse wykonanie execução казнь avrättning การประหารชีวิต idam sự thi hành 处死刑

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

The 'Frisco Reds pledged themselves to his execution. Every effort was made by the Oligarchy to save him.

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There is nothing absurd or impracticable in the idea of a league or alliance between independent nations for certain defined purposes precisely stated in a treaty regulating all the details of time, place, circumstance, and quantity; leaving nothing to future discretion; and depending for its execution on the good faith of the parties.

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One might show you the execution of a felon, or show you one's little finger.

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Therefore it is ill in counsel, good in execution; so that the right use of bold persons is, that they never command in chief, but be seconds, and under the direction of others.

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At last he was caught in the very act, and having his hands bound behind him, was led away to the place of public execution. His Mother followed in the crowd and violently beat her breast in sorrow, whereupon the young man said, "I wish to say something to my Mother in her ear." She came close to him, and he quickly seized her ear with his teeth and bit it off.

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One of the most delighted spectators at the execution was the anonymous Respector of Law who had flung the condemned.

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But in justice to this prince's great clemency, and the care he has of his subjects' lives (wherein it were much to be wished that the Monarchs of Europe would imitate him), it must be mentioned for his honour, that strict orders are given to have the infected parts of the floor well washed after every such execution, which, if his domestics neglect, they are in danger of incurring his royal displeasure.

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Reinstating the first condition omitted, that of time, we see that no command can be executed without some preceding order having been given rendering the execution of the last command possible.

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Among all the spectators whom Van Baerle's execution had attracted to the Buytenhof, and whom the sudden turn of affairs had disagreeably surprised, undoubtedly the one most disappointed was a certain respectably dressed burgher, who from early morning had made such a good use of his feet and elbows that he at last was separated from the scaffold only by the file of soldiers which surrounded it.

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In the heat of resentment he had, indeed, given a commission to Captain Egglane, which the captain had far exceeded in the execution; nor had it been executed at all, had his lordship been able to find the captain after he had seen Lady Bellaston, which was in the afternoon of the day after he had received the affront; but so industrious was the captain in the discharge of his duty, that, having after long enquiry found out the squire's lodgings very late in the evening, he sat up all night at a tavern, that he might not miss the squire in the morning, and by that means missed the revocation which my lord had sent to his lodgings.

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"To surround the scaffold with twenty of my best men, who, at a signal from me, will rush forward directly Peppino is brought for execution, and, by the assistance of their stilettos, drive back the guard, and carry off the prisoner."

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That crowd which the four sergeants posted at nine o'clock in the morning at the four corners of the pillory had inspired with the hope of some sort of an execution, no doubt, not a hanging, but a whipping, a cropping of ears, something, in short,--that crowd had increased so rapidly that the four policemen, too closely besieged, had had occasion to "press" it, as the expression then ran, more than once, by sound blows of their whips, and the haunches of their horses.

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