perform

[ per-fawrm ]

/ pərˈfɔrm /

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See synonyms for: perform / performed / performing / performs on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to carry out; execute; do: to perform miracles.

to go through or execute in the proper, customary, or established manner: to perform the marriage ceremony.

to carry into effect; fulfill: Perform what you promise.

to enact (a play, part, etc.), as on the stage, in movies, or on television.

to render (music), as by playing or singing.

to accomplish (any action involving skill or ability), as before an audience: to perform a juggling act.

to complete.

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.

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)

to fulfill a command, promise, or undertaking.

to execute or do something.

to act in a play: to perform in the role of Romeo.

to perform music.

to go through any performance.

(of loans, investments, etc.) to yield a profit; earn income.

to have sexual intercourse: I could not perform in my first intimate encounter with the love of my life.

OTHER WORDS FOR perform

3 accomplish, achieve, effect.

See synonyms for perform on Thesaurus.com

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True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

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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”; see per-, furnish

synonym study for perform

1. 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 WORDS FROM perform

per·form·a·ble, adjectiveper·form·er, nounmis·per·form, verbo·ver·per·form, verb

re·per·form, verb (used with object)self-per·formed, adjectiveun·per·form·a·ble, adjectiveun·per·formed, adjectiveun·per·form·ing, adjectivewell-per·formed, adjective

How to use perform in a sentence

The best comparison here for an American audience is, well, Internet stuff.
Trolls and Martyrdom: Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie|Arthur Chu|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Then add in all bored people, as well as people whose job it is to report on celebrities.
Sia and Shia LaBeouf’s Pedophilia Nontroversy Over ‘Elastic Heart’|Marlow Stern|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The well, ghost or no ghost, is certainly a piece of history with a bold presence.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In front of this strange structure are two blank-faced, well-dressed models showing off the latest in European minimalism.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

It is the obligation of citizens and journalists as well as governments.
Why We Stand With Charlie Hebdo—And You Should Too|John Avlon|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Mrs. Wurzel was quite right; they had been supplied, regardless of cost, from Messrs. Rochet and Stole's well-known establishment.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
The big room at King's Warren Parsonage was already fairly well filled.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
The country is well inhabited, for it contains fifty-one cities, near a hundred walled towns, and a great number of villages.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
Before he could finish the sentence the Hole-keeper said snappishly, "Well, drop out again—quick!"
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
Old Mrs. Wurzel and the buxom but not too well-favoured heiress of the house of Grains were at the head of the table.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills

British Dictionary definitions for perform

perform

/ (pəˈfɔːm) /

verb

to carry out or do (an action)

(tr) to fulfil or comply withto perform someone's request

to present or enact (a play, concert, etc) before or otherwise entertain an audiencethe group performed Hamlet

(intr) informal to accomplish sexual intercoursehe performed well

Derived forms of perform

performable, adjectiveperformer, noun

Word Origin for perform

C14: from Anglo-Norman perfourmer (influenced by forme form), from Old French parfournir, from par- per- + fournir to provide; see furnish

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

perform

OTHER WORDS FOR perform

Origin of perform

synonym study for perform

OTHER WORDS FROM perform

Words related to perform

How to use perform in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for perform

Derived forms of perform

Word Origin for perform