perpetrate

verb per·pe·trate \ ˈpər-pə-ˌtrāt \

Updated on: 19 May 2018

Definition of perpetrate

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

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perpetration

play \ˌpər-pə-ˈtrā-shən\ noun

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perpetrator

play \ˈpər-pə-ˌtrā-tər\ noun

See perpetrate defined for English-language learners

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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 of perpetrate from the Web

The commission found that a vast majority of the human rights violations had been perpetrated by state forces and military groups.

— the associated press, New York Times, "Álvaro Arzú, Ex-President of Guatemala, Dies at 72," 30 Apr. 2018
To this day, there is disagreement over whether Dederich ordered the violence perpetrated by Synanon members or merely stoked their rage.

— hillel aron, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Story of This Drug Rehab-Turned-Violent Cult Is Wild, Wild Country-Caliber Bizarre," 23 Apr. 2018
Eleven American families sued the PLO, Yasser Arafat and others over seven terror incidents from 2001 to 2004, claiming that the attacks were perpetrated by security officers and other agents of the Palestinian Authority.

— NBC News, "Supreme Court won't hear case involving American victims of Palestinian terror," 2 Apr. 2018
Federal and state lawsuits filed by Albert Shehadi allege a pattern of physical abuse, all caught on video and perpetrated under the noses of management.

— josh kovner, courant.com, "Lawmakers Propose Heightened Inspections, Oversight At Whiting," 16 Mar. 2018
Assassinations of Palestinians suspected of planning or perpetrating violence against Israelis have been relentlessly conducted also in the West Bank and Gaza, territories controlled by Israel that seek to become an independent Palestinian state.

— The Economist, "States are finding new ways of killing enemies abroad," 15 Mar. 2018
More than 800,000 people were killed within 100 days of mass murder of the country’s Tutsi ethnic minority perpetrated by the majority Hutu ethnic population in 1994.

— julissa treviño, Smithsonian, "Victims of Rwandan Genocide Identified in Newly Discovered Mass Graves," 30 Apr. 2018
Today marks 103 years since the start of the #ArmenianGenocide perpetrated by the Turkish Ottoman Empire that killed up to 1.5 million Armenians.

— stephanie petit, PEOPLE.com, "Kim & Rob Kardashian Honor Victims of the Armenian Genocide 103 Years After First Attack," 24 Apr. 2018
Gregory says the bill would be unfair to the church and would penalize it for events that happened decades ago and even for events perpetrated by some who are now dead.

— ajc homepage, ajc, "Catholic Church against Georgia law extending time for sex victims to sue," 9 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'perpetrate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.