perpetrate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to commit.
to perpetrate a crime.
-
to present, execute, or do in a poor or tasteless manner.
Who perpetrated this so-called comedy?
verb
Usage
Perpetrate and perpetuate are sometimes confused: he must answer for the crimes he has perpetrated (not perpetuated ); the book helped to perpetuate (not perpetrate ) some of the myths surrounding his early life
Other Word Forms
- nonperpetration noun
- perpetrable adjective
- perpetration noun
- perpetrator noun
Etymology
Origin of perpetrate
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin perpetrātus (past participle of perpetrāre “to carry out, execute, perform”), equivalent to per- per- + -petr- (combining form of patrāre “to father, bring abou”t; pater ) + -ā- thematic vowel + -tus past participle suffix; -ate 1
Explanation
It's possible to perpetrate a good deed, but not likely. That's because perpetrate means to commit or be responsible for something — usually something mischievous or bad. If you manage to slip a whoopee cushion onto your teacher's chair without her seeing it, then you've perpetrated a classic prank. But if you were to use your wily ways to break into the bank's safe, then you would have just turned yourself into "a felony-class perpetrator." Do yourself a favor and stay out of trouble!
Vocabulary lists containing perpetrate
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Persepolis
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Not Your Father's Word List: Pater, Patr
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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.
On Friday, media regulator Roskomnadzor announced it was considering fully banning WhatsApp, accusing it of being a vessel to perpetrate "crime".
From Barron's • Nov. 29, 2025
“The sportsbooks themselves are victims in this case. They themselves did not perpetrate anything unlawful,” said Joseph Nocella Jr., the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 24, 2025
State Department officers have also been instructed to spot individuals "who advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists and other threats to national security; or who perpetrate unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence".
From BBC • Aug. 22, 2025
Cryptocurrency is being used to perpetrate crimes that affect all Americans.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2025
What was interesting about this little insight was that I could see the army had a point, but it still seemed like a sneaky trick to perpetrate on all those simple country folk.
From "How I Live Now" by Meg Rosoff
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.
