execution

[ek-si-kyoo-shuhn]

noun

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 performing a judgment or sentence of a court.

   The judge stayed execution of the sentence pending appeal.

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

   The pianist's execution of the sonata was consummate.

6. effective, usually destructive action, or the result attained by it (usually preceded bydo ).

   The grenades did rapid execution.

7. Law.,  a judicial writ directing the enforcement of a judgment.

8. Computers.,  the act of running, or the results of having run, a program or routine, or the performance of an instruction.

execution

/ ˌɛksɪˈkjuːʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of executing

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

   2. the writ ordering such enforcement

Other Word Forms

• executional adjective
• nonexecution noun
• preexecution noun
• reexecution noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of execution¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English execucioun, from Latin ex(s)ecūtiōn-, stem of ex(s)ecūtiō “accomplishment, performance”; equivalent to execute + -ion

Example Sentences

As the Rams prepare for the Ravens, they will be looking for “more sustained execution throughout,” McVay said.

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Sure, al-Jasser died as part of what Human Rights Watch and the Middle East Democracy Center characterize as “an unprecedented surge in executions in 2025 without apparent due process.”

Read more on Salon

But Felix Jakens, Amnesty International UK's head of campaigns, said "goals and glory are distracting from executions and repression" after a record 345 people were executed in Saudi Arabia last year.

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Inspired survivors might even emerge from the rubble years later to mock-perform their executions as drag.

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The kicking unit as a whole has played a major role in both defeats, which also featured poor execution by the Rams at times in other areas.

Read more on Los Angeles Times