perpetrate
verb
per·pe·trate
ˈpər-pə-ˌtrāt 
perpetrated; perpetrating
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
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
While the white French colonists perpetrated acts of extreme brutality and violence, when Haitian revolutionaries fought back, they were criticized for not following the standard rules of warfare.
—
Julia Gaffield, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025
The site, with its grand plaza, was conceived as an assertion of civic pride under the lingering cloud of a presidential assassination perpetrated on the city's watch.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
This very intense moment of racial violence in the city perpetrated by a lot of white immigrants, right, Irish and German immigrants.
—Cory Turner, NPR, 10 Oct. 2025
And on that summer day in Texas, the 85-year-old Bates became one of the tens of thousands of Americans who fall victim each year to scams perpetrated using bitcoin ATMs.
—ABC News, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perpetrate
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Julia Gaffield, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025
The site, with its grand plaza, was conceived as an assertion of civic pride under the lingering cloud of a presidential assassination perpetrated on the city's watch.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
This very intense moment of racial violence in the city perpetrated by a lot of white immigrants, right, Irish and German immigrants.
—Cory Turner, NPR, 10 Oct. 2025
And on that summer day in Texas, the 85-year-old Bates became one of the tens of thousands of Americans who fall victim each year to scams perpetrated using bitcoin ATMs.
—ABC News, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for perpetrate
Cite this Entry
“Perpetrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perpetrate. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
perpetrate
verb
per·pe·trate
ˈpər-pə-ˌtrāt
perpetrated; perpetrating
: to be guilty of doing : commit
Legal Definition
perpetrate
transitive verb
per·pe·trate
ˈpər-pə-ˌtrāt
perpetrated; perpetrating
: to carry out or bring about (as a crime)
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