execution

American  

[ek-si-kyoo-shuhn] / ˌɛk sɪˈkyu ʃən /

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.

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execution British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

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

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.

Example Sentences

Earlier this month, he told The Wall Street Journal that continuity was necessary to minimize execution risk for the complex merger.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

It would have “dominant” market shares in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles, “triggering major antitrust, divestiture, alliance, execution and valuation risks,” Fitzgerald said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

A potential merger would trigger “major antitrust, divestiture, alliance, execution, and valuation risks,” he added.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Alongside the spectacle of execution and the glimmering blood, Mary, John, St. Dominic and others beside Christ in many of these frescos cover their faces or turn away.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

In art, conception and execution go hand in hand and are so completely interdependent that they cannot be separated from each other.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson