perpetrate

verb

per·​pe·​trate ˈpər-pə-ˌtrāt How to pronounce perpetrate (audio)
perpetrated; perpetrating

transitive verb

1
: to bring about or carry out (something, such as a crime or deception) : commit
2
: to produce, perform, or execute (something likened to a crime)
perpetrate a pun
perpetration noun
perpetrator noun

Examples of perpetrate in a Sentence

The men were planning to perpetrate a robbery. The attack was perpetrated by a street gang. He vowed revenge for the crime perpetrated on his family.
Recent Examples on the Web These attackers are making money off of these attacks, so their ROI is pretty high, in terms of [being] low risk when the crimes are being perpetrated from countries where there are not penalties for these types of attacks. Cio, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 This piece, then, serves as a corrective to widespread assumptions about trafficking, including who perpetrates it and who is hurt by it. Longreads, 2 Feb. 2024 Earlier this month, Biden issued an executive order imposing sanctions on four settlers accused of directly perpetrating violence or intimidation in the West Bank. Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 17 Feb. 2024 The report was long and unflattering, detailing the cozy relationship that Girardi had cultivated with those tasked with preventing and prosecuting the type of fraud he was accused of perpetrating with the orphans and widows from the Indonesian plane crash. Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2024 To add Syria, another of Iraq’s chief adversaries, to the mix and threaten them all with punishment for 9/11—a terrorist attack perpetrated by Saudi, Emirati, Lebanese, and Egyptian members of al Qaeda, the Sunni extremist group—was even more of an affront. Toby Matthiesen, Foreign Affairs, 9 Feb. 2024 School shooting data indicates that family members storing guns securely would curb the flow of weapons in a majority of school shootings perpetrated by children, who, unlike adult shooters, cannot legally buy firearms. Kim Bellware, Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2024 On her 2021 debut, Outside Child, Allison Russell vividly described escaping the abuse perpetrated by her white adoptive father and finding joy in its aftermath. Justin Curto, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2024 The violence perpetrated on her characters is both matter-of-fact and generational. Yvonne Zipp, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'perpetrate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin perpetratus, past participle of perpetrare, from per- through + patrare to accomplish, from pater father — more at father

First Known Use

1537, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of perpetrate was in 1537

Dictionary Entries Near perpetrate

Cite this Entry

“Perpetrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perpetrate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

perpetrate

verb
per·​pe·​trate ˈpər-pə-ˌtrāt How to pronounce perpetrate (audio)
perpetrated; perpetrating
: to be guilty of doing : commit
perpetration noun
perpetrator noun

Legal Definition

perpetrate

transitive verb
per·​pe·​trate ˈpər-pə-ˌtrāt How to pronounce perpetrate (audio)
perpetrated; perpetrating
: to carry out or bring about (as a crime)
perpetration noun
perpetrator noun

More from Merriam-Webster on perpetrate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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