execution

American  

[ek-si-kyoo-shuhn] / ˌɛk sɪˈkju ʃən /

noun

• executions
  plural

1. the act or process of executing.

2. the state or fact of being executed.

3. the infliction of capital punishment or, formerly, of any legal punishment.

4. the process of performing a judgment or sentence of a court.

   The judge stayed execution of the sentence pending appeal.

5. a mode or style of performance; technical skill, as in music.

   The pianist's execution of the sonata was consummate.

6. effective, usually destructive action, or the result attained by it (usually preceded bydo ).

   The grenades did rapid execution.

7. Law. a judicial writ directing the enforcement of a judgment.

8. Computers. the act of running, or the results of having run, a program or routine, or the performance of an instruction.

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execution British  

/ ˌɛksɪˈkjuːʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of executing

2. the carrying out or undergoing of a sentence of death

3. the style or manner in which something is accomplished or performed; technique

   as a pianist his execution is poor

4. 1. the enforcement of the judgment of a court of law

   2. the writ ordering such enforcement

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonexecution
  noun
• preexecution
  noun
• reexecution
  noun
• executional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• executions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of execution

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English execucioun, from Latin ex(s)ecūtiōn-, stem of ex(s)ecūtiō “accomplishment, performance”; equivalent to execute + -ion

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Explanation

The planning stage of building a tree house is the fun part — the hard part is the execution of your plan. Execution is taking an idea and actually making it happen. The execution of a plan is when you put it into effect, like the execution on the field of a football team's game plan. It can also mean the style in which a project is carried out, like a ballet's creative execution. Execution can also refer to the death of a person, either a prisoner who's been sentenced to death by a court of law, or a deliberate, targeted murder, especially when it's done for political reasons.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

execution executions

“This was an execution of a mentally ill man,” said Garza’s attorney, Rebecca Brown, at a news conference Friday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026

“We think this print is a strong reminder of the quality business EssilorLuxottica remains, showing solid execution on the core while exploring new routes via innovation,” analysts at JPMorgan wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas models 8.3 gigawatts by the end of next year, citing a “lack of clarity on securing power, steep execution risks, and financing overhang.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

"GM has demonstrated strong execution over the last several years, we believe investors are likely to question conviction for now, given increasing commodity and logistics costs," among other questions, JPMorgan said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

A mathematician, Gaspard Monge, signed the revolutionary government’s record of the king’s execution.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

That’s the number of executions in the U.S. last year—the most since 2009, according to the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

States have used lethal injection for most executions since 1977, when capital punishment resumed after a 1972 Supreme Court ruling that halted the practice.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

“Public executions are soul-twisting and we should not go down that road,” the conservative radio host Erick Erickson said on social media.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

For now, Lee has paused the state's executions for the remainder of the year.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Between the passage of Alabama's new death penalty statute in 1975 and the end of 1988, there had been only three executions in Alabama.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

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