execution

American  

[ek-si-kyoo-shuhn] / ˌɛk sɪˈkju ʃən /

noun

executions plural

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• executions
  plural

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

See Examples For:

execution executions

But Chief Executive Enrique Lores said the raised outlook speaks to PayPal’s execution of its turnaround strategy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

McLaren's own good execution of qualifying was one factor, he said, in addition to an under-performance from Ferrari, and perhaps even Antonelli and Mercedes.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

A video also smuggled out of prison showed him singing a patriotic song in the prison yard ahead of execution.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

“AI is fast at execution, but execution was never the hard part of the job,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

I picked up my other case files and made updated plans for how to assist each client to maximize the chance of avoiding an execution.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

He wrote a court opinion in 2005 ending executions for murderers who were under age 18 at the time of their crime.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

Following a number of other controversial executions and a series of miscarriages of justice it was permanently abolished for murder in 1969.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

Gregg said that death sentences and executions could resume because the court was satisfied that the penalty could be administered in a way that guaranteed that capital defendants would be treated fairly and equally.

From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026

The report said the number of executions was by far the highest since IHR began tracking it in 2008, and was the most reported since 1989, in the earlier years of the Islamic revolution.

From Barron's ● Apr. 13, 2026

As for the work of the White Rose, the leaflets continued to spread after the executions.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti