perform

[ per-fawrm ]

/ pərˈfɔrm /

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See synonyms for: perform / performed / performing / performs on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to carry out; execute; do: to perform miracles.

to go through or execute in the proper, customary, or established manner: to perform the marriage ceremony.

to carry into effect; fulfill: Perform what you promise.

to enact (a play, part, etc.), as on the stage, in movies, or on television.

to render (music), as by playing or singing.

to accomplish (any action involving skill or ability), as before an audience: to perform a juggling act.

to complete.

to exhibit behaviors associated with (a particular social role or identity): This study investigates the ways in which biracial Americans perform race in their day-to-day lives.

to behave in ways that exhibit (a socially acceptable belief, trait, or quality), often merely for show: Nineteenth-century British women found in the antislavery movement a perfect way to perform empathy.

verb (used without object)

to fulfill a command, promise, or undertaking.

to execute or do something.

to act in a play: to perform in the role of Romeo.

to perform music.

to go through any performance.

(of loans, investments, etc.) to yield a profit; earn income.

to have sexual intercourse: I could not perform in my first intimate encounter with the love of my life.

OTHER WORDS FOR perform

3 accomplish, achieve, effect.

See synonyms for perform on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of perform

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English parformen, from Anglo-French parformer, alteration (by association with forme form) of Middle French, Old French parfournir “to accomplish”; see per-, furnish

synonym study for perform

1. Perform, discharge, execute, transact mean to carry to completion a prescribed course of action. Perform is the general word, often applied to ordinary activity as a more formal expression than do, but usually implying regular, methodical, or prolonged application or work: to perform an exacting task. Discharge implies carrying out an obligation, often a formal or legal one: to discharge one's duties as a citizen. Execute means either to carry out an order or to carry through a plan or program: to execute a maneuver. Transact, meaning to conduct or manage, has commercial connotations: to transact business.

OTHER WORDS FROM perform

per·form·a·ble, adjectiveper·form·er, nounmis·per·form, verbo·ver·per·form, verb

re·per·form, verb (used with object)self-per·formed, adjectiveun·per·form·a·ble, adjectiveun·per·formed, adjectiveun·per·form·ing, adjectivewell-per·formed, adjective

Words nearby perform

perforating wound, perforation, perforation gauge, perforce, perforin, perform, performance, performance appraisal, performance art, performance bond, performance capture

How to use perform in a sentence

Wooten, a nurse at the facility, was the first to raise concerns about the hysterectomies, which were performed by a gynecologist described as “the uterus collector” in a whistleblower complaint filed Monday.
A woman in ICE detention says her fallopian tube was removed without her consent|Nicole Narea|September 17, 2020|Vox
That made it the third-best performing bureau, behind only the Foreign Service Institute and the Bureau of Intelligence and Research.
State Department offers murky analysis of job performance survey to justify inspector general’s firing|Karoun Demirjian, Carol Morello|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
The new algorithm performs flips one at a time, searching for a solution.
A New Algorithm for Graph Crossings, Hiding in Plain Sight|Stephanie DeMarco|September 15, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Despite the turmoil, the firm is confident about its position, and its ability to perform for clients.
The losses continue to pile up for hedge fund king Ray Dalio|Bernhard Warner|September 15, 2020|Fortune

If what you value is a player capable of performing within herself, well, you probably already enjoyed Hebard with the Oregon Ducks — and even more now in her time as a classic five with the playoff-bound Sky.
Which Players Have A Shot At Becoming WNBA Rookie Of The Year?|Howard Megdal|September 11, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
His first language was Russian, then he learned Swedish, but chooses to perform in monosyllabic broken English.
The Cult of Yung Lean: ‘I’m Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up’|Marlow Stern|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Both males and females at parties, weddings, and celebrations perform it.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread|IranWire|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Girls perform better in school (though this does not, seemingly, result in higher wages).
Men Need A Better Men’s Rights Movement|Nancy Kaffer|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I felt very free there to sort of, you know, perform…not just doing guys and dolls and stuff.
The Zany Shades of Nick Kroll|Abby Haglage|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Daniels, 28, was allegedly the first to force “Jane Doe” to perform sexual acts on johns.
The Navy ‘Hero’ Who Pimped an HIV-Positive Teen|M.L. Nestel|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I ne'er heard yet that any of these bolder vices wanted less impudence to gainsay what they did, than to perform it first.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
The special license had arrived; the young clergyman who was to perform the service was located at Hartledon.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
On some future occasion I may suggest how you may successfully perform your duties in your new position.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 107, November 3, 1894|Various
That is a very flimsy pretext, so that the fiscals may not perform their duties faithfully against the governor.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
It took her twenty years to save enough money to perform her first journey!
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer

British Dictionary definitions for perform

perform

/ (pəˈfɔːm) /

verb

to carry out or do (an action)

(tr) to fulfil or comply withto perform someone's request

to present or enact (a play, concert, etc) before or otherwise entertain an audiencethe group performed Hamlet

(intr) informal to accomplish sexual intercoursehe performed well

Derived forms of perform

performable, adjectiveperformer, noun

Word Origin for perform

C14: from Anglo-Norman perfourmer (influenced by forme form), from Old French parfournir, from par- per- + fournir to provide; see furnish

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

perform

OTHER WORDS FOR perform

Origin of perform

synonym study for perform

OTHER WORDS FROM perform

Words nearby perform

Words related to perform

How to use perform in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for perform

Derived forms of perform

Word Origin for perform