perpetrate

[ pur-pi-treyt ]

/ ˈpɜr pɪˌtreɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR perpetrate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), per·pe·trat·ed, per·pe·trat·ing.

to commit: to perpetrate a crime.

to present, execute, or do in a poor or tasteless manner: Who perpetrated this so-called comedy?

Nearby words

perp walk, perp., perpend, perpendicular, perpent, perpetrate, perpetrator, perpetual, perpetual adoration, perpetual calendar, perpetual check

Origin of perpetrate

1540–50; < Latin perpetrātus (past participle of perpetrāre to carry out, execute, perform), equivalent to per- per- + -petr- (combining form of patrāre to father, bring about; see pater) + -ā- theme vowel + -tus past participle suffix; see -ate¹

Related forms

per·pe·tra·ble

[pur-pi-truh-buh l] /ˈpɜr pɪ trə bəl/, adjectiveper·pe·tra·tion, nounper·pe·tra·tor, nounnon·per·pe·tra·tion, noun

un·per·pe·trat·ed, adjective

Can be confused

perpetrate perpetuate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for perpetrate

As in Nazi Germany, it is usually governments driven by greed or power calculations that perpetrate such crimes.
Still a Problem From Hell, Two Decades After Rwanda|John Prendergast|April 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There would be innumerable petty deeds to perpetrate in the midst of much uncertainty, delay and humiliation.
Two banks of the Seine|Fernand Vandrem
Phœbus who commanded us to perpetrate the slaying of our mother.
The Tragedies of Euripides, Volume I.|Euripides
He was afraid to have his brothers marry lest it might be a nephew who was to perpetrate the deed.
The Empire of Austria; Its Rise and Present Power|John S. C. Abbott

Odysseus answered him: "May the gods punish the ruthless men who perpetrate such wrongs in a stranger's home."
Odysseus, the Hero of Ithaca|Homer
But it is principally upon their own languages that democratic nations attempt to perpetrate innovations.
Democracy In America, Volume 2 (of 2)|Alexis de Toqueville

British Dictionary definitions for perpetrate

perpetrate

/ (ˈpɜːpɪˌtreɪt) /

verb

(tr) to perform or be responsible for (a deception, crime, etc)

Derived Forms

perpetration, nounperpetrator, noun

Word Origin for perpetrate

C16: from Latin perpetrāre, from per- (thoroughly) + patrāre to perform, perhaps from pater father, leader in the performance of sacred rites

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

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