perform
Americanverb (used with object)
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to perform miracles.
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to go through or execute in the proper, customary, or established manner.
to perform the marriage ceremony.
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to carry into effect; fulfill.
Perform what you promise.
- Synonyms:
- effect, achieve, accomplish
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to enact (a play, part, etc.), as on the stage, in movies, or on television.
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to render (music), as by playing or singing.
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to accomplish (any action involving skill or ability), as before an audience.
to perform a juggling act.
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to complete.
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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.
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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)
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to fulfill a command, promise, or undertaking.
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to execute or do something.
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to act in a play.
to perform in the role of Romeo.
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to perform music.
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to go through any performance.
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(of loans, investments, etc.) to yield a profit; earn income.
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to have sexual intercourse.
I could not perform in my first intimate encounter with the love of my life.
verb
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to carry out or do (an action)
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(tr) to fulfil or comply with
to perform someone's request
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to present or enact (a play, concert, etc) before or otherwise entertain an audience
the group performed Hamlet
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informal (intr) to accomplish sexual intercourse
he performed well
Related Words
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 Word Forms
- misperform verb
- overperform verb
- performable adjective
- performer noun
- reperform verb (used with object)
- self-performed adjective
- unperformable adjective
- unperformed adjective
- unperforming adjective
- well-performed adjective
Etymology
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”; per-, furnish
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.
They use a "flywheel exercise device," similar to a yo-yo, that can allow for aerobics like rowing as well as provide resistance to perform moves like weighted squats and deadlifts.
From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026
To perform what has to be the most elegant holeshot in history, drivers will have to engage “Spirited Mode” by holding down both brake and throttle then releasing the brake.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
He raised his rating on Disney’s stock to outperform from market perform and has set a new target price at $115 a share, or about 20% above where the stock has been trading lately.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026
My kid is in the arts and I hang out a lot with him and help him sing and perform.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026
When they grew tired of that, they assumed the roles of Dr. Westminster and his equally qualified assistant, Dr. Eastminster, and attempted to perform medical examinations on Nutsawoo.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
