perpetrate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
perpetrates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
perpetrated,
past participle, past
-
perpetrating
present participle
-
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
perpetratesimple
-
perpetratessimple
-
have perpetratedperfect
-
has perpetratedperfect
-
am perpetratingprogressive
-
are perpetratingprogressive
-
is perpetratingprogressive
-
have been perpetratingperfect progressive
-
has been perpetratingperfect progressive
Past
-
perpetratedsimple
-
had perpetratedperfect
-
was perpetratingprogressive
-
were perpetratingprogressive
-
had been perpetratingperfect progressive
Future
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; see pater) + -ā- thematic vowel + -tus past participle suffix; see -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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Persepolis
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Not Your Father's Word List: Pater, Patr
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Such entrepreneurial packaging serves as a Trojan horse for scammers wanting to set up shop without drawing unwanted attention – and allows them to perpetrate their fraud more effectively.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Amodei’s main concern, he wrote in the letter, was the risk of authoritarian governments catching up with the U.S. in AI “to achieve permanent military superiority or perpetrate incredibly deep repression of their own people.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
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 powers of government must never again perpetrate an injustice against any group based solely on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, race or religion.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 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
In a letter to lawmakers, the group said violence is “outside the bounds of legitimate political discourse regardless of who perpetrates it.”
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 22, 2021
“When someone perpetrates wrongdoing, it is the fault of that person or those persons who did that,” she said.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 25, 2020
While our counterattacks are reducing the number of casualties she perpetrates – malaria deaths in particular are declining rapidly – the mosquito remains the deadliest hunter of human beings on the planet.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 20, 2019
Indeed, it is a modern trope: the loving family man who perpetrates acts of cruelty because he is just following orders.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 16, 2017
Not one in a thousand probably perpetrates any intentional damage to fish, fowl, or flowers.
From The Open Air by Richard Jefferies
Press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders, which had a representative in court, wrote on social media that the trial "revives hope that justice will finally be served for a crime perpetrated nearly nine years ago".
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
The article leaves room for debate about whether Platner actually perpetrated the worst offenses, which he denies, and whether those offenses should be disqualifying for a Senate candidate.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
He slowly became obsessed with the idea that high fees were a moral wrong perpetrated on American investors by an ethically bankrupt Wall Street fund-management industry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
Having suppressed its military for years in an attempt to atone for the horrors it perpetrated, can Germany fulfil its newfound ambition to become Europe's preeminent military power?
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
The woman wasn’t lamenting an old plantation injustice but a crime perpetrated here in South Carolina.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
The Attorney General’s office in Florida, where RAD is based, have said the firm was perpetrating an apparent “Ponzi scheme,” citing complaints from investors.
From Barron's ● Mar. 3, 2026
“Liu used Theta Labs as his personal trading vehicle, perpetrating fraud, self-dealing, and market manipulation,” said Mark Mermelstein, Kowal’s attorney, in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2025
While Marissa and Peter pivot between rage and not-quite-mourning, and other characters are perpetrating cooked-up complications to the story, Alcaras conducts an investigation that is so commonsensical it defies the rules of crime fiction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2025
Dating back to the second wave of Jim Crow-style racism in the early 1950s, Black celebrities have been critical in efforts to bring awareness to racial injustice and accountability to those perpetrating it.
From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2025
These detectives admitted to hiding in closets and under beds, posing as ANC members, perpetrating virtually any deception that would enable them to get information about our organization.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
