perform

American  

[per-fawrm] / pərˈfɔrm /

verb (used with object)

performs, present (3rd person singular) performed, past participle, past performing present participle

1. to carry out; execute; do.

   to perform miracles.

2. to go through or execute in the proper, customary, or established manner.

   to perform the marriage ceremony.

3. to carry into effect; fulfill.

   Perform what you promise.

   Synonyms:

   effect, achieve, accomplish

4. to enact (a play, part, etc.), as on the stage, in movies, or on television.

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

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

   to perform a juggling act.

7. to complete.

8. to exhibit behaviors associated with (a particular social role or identity).

   This study investigates the ways in which biracial Americans perform race in their day-to-day lives.

9. to behave in ways that exhibit (a socially acceptable belief, trait, or quality), often merely for show.

   Nineteenth-century British women found in the antislavery movement a perfect way to perform empathy.

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verb (used without object)

performs, present (3rd person singular) performed, past participle, past performing present participle

1. to fulfill a command, promise, or undertaking.

2. to execute or do something.

3. to act in a play.

   to perform in the role of Romeo.

4. to perform music.

5. to go through any performance.

6. (of loans, investments, etc.) to yield a profit; earn income.

7. to have sexual intercourse.

   I could not perform in my first intimate encounter with the love of my life.

perform British  

/ pəˈfɔːm /

verb

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. informal (intr) to accomplish sexual intercourse

   he performed well

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Synonym Usage

Perform, discharge, execute, transact mean to carry to completion a prescribed course of action. Perform is the general word, often applied to ordinary activity as a more formal expression than do, but usually implying regular, methodical, or prolonged application or work: to perform an exacting task. Discharge implies carrying out an obligation, often a formal or legal one: to discharge one's duties as a citizen. Execute means either to carry out an order or to carry through a plan or program: to execute a maneuver. Transact, meaning to conduct or manage, has commercial connotations: to transact business.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reperform
  verb (used with object)
• unperforming
  adjective
• performable
  adjective
• misperform
  verb
• unperformable
  adjective
• unperformed
  adjective
• performer
  noun
• overperform
  verb
• self-performed
  adjective
• well-performed
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has performed
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have performed
  perfect
• is performing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• am performing
  progressive 1st person singular
• has been performing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• have been performing
  perfect progressive
• are performing
  progressive
• performs
  singular 3rd person
• performing
  participle

Past

• had performed
  perfect
• were performing
  progressive plural
• was performing
  progressive singular
• had been performing
  perfect progressive
• performed
  simple
• performed
  participle

Future

• will perform
  simple
• will have performed
  perfect
• will be performing
  progressive
• will have been performing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of perform

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English parformen, from Anglo-French parformer, alteration (by association with forme form ) of Middle French, Old French parfournir “to accomplish”; see per-, furnish

Explanation

To perform most often means to sing, dance act or put on any kind of show. Perform also means, however, to carry out almost any function or action — to do something, in other words. Parents love to watch their kids perform. Nothing delights mommy or daddy more than watching junior sing or dance in the school play. Later in life, though, they'll be happy when their kids perform acts of kindness or when they perform the duties required of them by their jobs. "The surgeon entertained the other doctors when he performed an aria from Rigoletto while he performed an appendectomy." Now that's impressive.

Example Sentences

An inquest looking into how he died found that a failure to spot the signs of a cardiac arrest contributed to his death, as nobody attempted to perform CPR or use a defibrillator on him.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

Maybe, but fortunately for us, the Chateau Marmont no longer allows guests to perform seances.

From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026

“Gold’s safe-haven appeal tends to perform best during a financial crisis or growth shock…periods when central banks cut rates, real yields fall and the dollar weakens,” Hansen said.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

Investors are paying close attention to huge IPOs expected this year, with questions about how they may perform amid enthusiasm for AI.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

Ethnomusicologist Jeff Todd Titon states that we perform music in two ways.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Related Words

• achieve
• act
• behave
• complete
• do
• execute
• finish
• function
• implement
• meet
• observe
• operate
• take
• work