What does execute mean?
"Execute" means to carry out or put into effect something that has been planned, ordered, or decided — whether a strategy, a command, a manoeuvre, or a duty. It also has more specialised senses: in law, to execute a document such as a will or contract is to sign it so that it becomes legally valid, and in computing, to execute a program is to run it. The word carries a graver sense as well: to execute someone is to put them to death as punishment under a legal sentence. Derived from Latin exsequi, "to follow out," it entered English via Old French in the late medieval period. Today it appears constantly in business, military, sporting, and technical language, where phrases like "execute a plan" or "execute a deal" signal precision and completion. Its connotations of decisiveness and skill make it a favourite in professional writing, though its lethal legal sense gives it an undertone that careful writers keep in mind.
verbTo carry out or put into effect a plan, order, or course of action. In legal contexts, to carry out a sentence of death; in law and computing, to sign a document so it becomes valid, or to run a program or instruction.
- To carry out or perform a plan, task, order, or duty
- To put to death in accordance with a legal sentence
- To make or sign a document (such as a contract or will) legally valid
- To run a program, command, or instruction on a computer
"The team executed the marketing plan flawlessly, exceeding every target."
"The pilot executed a perfect emergency landing on the highway."
"The prisoner was executed at dawn after the governor refused clemency."
"Execute" once meant simply "to follow out" — from Latin ex- (out) and sequi (to follow) — but it took on its darkest sense, carrying out a death sentence, only in the late Middle Ages.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of execute
"Execute" comes from the Latin verb exsequi (later executi), formed from ex-, "out," plus sequi, "to follow," hence literally "to follow out." It reached English through Old French executer around the late Middle Ages, initially meaning to carry out or perform. The sense of putting a person to death under legal authority developed by the early modern period, extending naturally from carrying out a judicial sentence. Cognates include French exécuter, Spanish ejecutar, and Italian eseguire, all tracing back to the same Latin root that also yields English words like "sequence" and "consequence."
Related word forms
How execute is actually used
"Execute" is largely neutral-to-formal in register when meaning "carry out," common in business, military, computing, and legal contexts. The execution sense is gravely serious and should be used with care; in informal speech, simpler verbs like "do" or "carry out" are often preferred.
Easily confused with execute
"Exorcise" means to drive out an evil spirit, while "execute" means to carry out a plan or order — they look vaguely similar but are entirely unrelated.
"Exercise" means physical activity or practice, whereas "execute" means to put something into effect or perform it.