per·form (p r-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 carry on; function: a car that performs well on curves. 2. To fulfill an obligation or requirement; accomplish something as promised or expected. 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·forma·ble adj. per·former n. Synonyms: perform, execute, accomplish, achieve, effect, fulfill, discharge
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.
Effect suggests the power of an agent to bring about a desired result: The prescribed antibiotics didn't effect a complete cure.
To fulfill is to live up to expectations or satisfy demands, wishes, or requirements: All their desires could not be fulfilled.
To discharge an obligation or duty is to perform all the steps necessary for its fulfillment: "I have found it impossible . . . to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do" Edward VIII. |
perform Verb 1. to carry out (an action): the hospital performs more than a hundred such operations each year 2. to present (a play or concert): he performed a couple of songs from his new album 3. to fulfil: you have performed the first of two conditions [Old French parfournir] performable adj
performer n
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | 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"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" 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 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" 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"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" sight-read, sightread - perform music from a score without having seen the score before; "He is a brilliant pianist but he cannot sightread" 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"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" ply - apply oneself diligently; "Ply one's trade" |
perform verb 1. do, achieve, carry out, effect, complete, satisfy, observe, fulfil, accomplish, execute, bring about, pull off, act out, transact verb 3. present, act (out), stage, play, produce, represent, put on, render, depict, enact, appear as verb 4. appear on stage, act  Translations
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perform [pəˈfɔːm] vt (= carry out) → realizar, llevar a cabo;
perform [pəˈfɔːm] vt (= carry out) → exécuter, remplir [+ concert etc]; jouer, donner
perform [pəˈfɔːm] vt [+ operation, ceremony etc] → durchführen [+ task]; erfüllen [+ piece of music, play etc]; aufführen
perform [pəˈfɔːm] vt (= carry out) → eseguire, fare [+ symphony etc]; suonare [+ play, ballet]; dare [+ opera]; fare
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