execution
Americannoun
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the act or process of executing.
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the state or fact of being executed.
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the infliction of capital punishment or, formerly, of any legal punishment.
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the process of performing a judgment or sentence of a court.
The judge stayed execution of the sentence pending appeal.
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a mode or style of performance; technical skill, as in music.
The pianist's execution of the sonata was consummate.
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effective, usually destructive action, or the result attained by it (usually preceded bydo ).
The grenades did rapid execution.
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Law. a judicial writ directing the enforcement of a judgment.
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Computers. the act of running, or the results of having run, a program or routine, or the performance of an instruction.
noun
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the act or process of executing
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the carrying out or undergoing of a sentence of death
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the style or manner in which something is accomplished or performed; technique
as a pianist his execution is poor
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the enforcement of the judgment of a court of law
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the writ ordering such enforcement
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Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of execution
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English execucioun, from Latin ex(s)ecūtiōn-, stem of ex(s)ecūtiō “accomplishment, performance”; equivalent to execute + -ion
Explanation
The planning stage of building a tree house is the fun part — the hard part is the execution of your plan. Execution is taking an idea and actually making it happen. The execution of a plan is when you put it into effect, like the execution on the field of a football team's game plan. It can also mean the style in which a project is carried out, like a ballet's creative execution. Execution can also refer to the death of a person, either a prisoner who's been sentenced to death by a court of law, or a deliberate, targeted murder, especially when it's done for political reasons.
Vocabulary lists containing execution
Set, Hut! Football Vocabulary
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Words Football Fans Can Master Easily
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American Football, 1st Quarter
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Maybe this TV marriage could be forged by a shared commitment to world-changing work and broken by ethical disagreements over its execution.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026
The airline said it had also noted "the considerable regulatory, financial and other execution challenges associated with a potential takeover of EasyJet".
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
Tyson said King successfully led the company through the pandemic and improved execution across the business to substantially boost profits and bolster its balance sheet.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
They are those that outsourced technical judgment along with technical execution.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
We kept getting very close decisions from appellate courts denying relief, and Mr. Hinton remained on death row facing execution.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
