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

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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

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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

“The decision to enter livestock represents a significant competitive development, particularly as market participants evaluate execution costs, trading technology, liquidity, and alternative hedging opportunities,” says PJ Quaid of StoneX in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

But Moskow said he was still wondering what, exactly, had caused Pepsi’s weaker execution.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

The move to livestream Nidal Hasan's execution was widely opposed at home and abroad, prompting outrage from both US Democratic and Republican politicians, the Catholic Church and the United Nations.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

He wrote “La Nieve” the night after filming an emotionally demanding execution and took inspiration from the verses in the last letter that Lorca wrote to Rodríguez Rapún.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

The rapid conviction, sentencing, and execution of the Lincoln assassination conspirators concluded the trial that had lasted through May and June.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

“Public executions are soul-twisting and we should not go down that road,” the conservative radio host Erick Erickson said on social media.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

Several medical groups - including the national associations for doctors and nurses - also ban their members from participating in executions.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has since halted executions in the state.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

Lee has suspended executions in Tennessee pending an independent investigation.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

Between the passage of Alabama's new death penalty statute in 1975 and the end of 1988, there had been only three executions in Alabama.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

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