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executes

verb

present tense third-person singular of execute
1
as in enforces
to carry out effectively the agency charged with executing the nation's drug laws

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2
as in performs
to carry through (as a process) to completion when you execute this dance step, try to keep your arms a little higher

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3
as in assassinates
to put to death deliberately during the war those convicted of desertion were summarily executed

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of executes But for anyone disturbed by the way To Catch a Predator executes its faux-law enforcement busts, the movie risks becoming viscerally unpleasant. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026 When disruption arrives, the team executes a plan rather than reacting with uncertainty. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Richet executes the whole thing with an almost sterile cleanliness. — Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2026 Every time the user opens an OWA tab in the browser, the normal OWA sync process automatically executes OWAReaper. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 30 July 2026 Because Iran is a theocratic dictatorship that routinely arrests and in some cases executes journalists, Western reporters hoping to cover the country must either work clandestinely or submit to government supervision. — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026 Does the right things, doesn’t get over his skis, doesn’t get nervous, just executes really well. — Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 26 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for executes
  1. enforces
  2. performs
  3. assassinates
  4. implements
  5. fulfills
  6. murders
  7. accomplishes
  8. slays
Verb
  • The Orwellian parallels and Cold War overtones are strong on this particular planet, where a hive-mind entity enforces conformity through mass surveillance and zero-tolerance punishments.
    — Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Azmeri Haque Badhon plays the salon owner who enforces the beauty standard on Zaineen, including a scene of facial injections that Hossain says mirrors treatment common in Bangladeshi salons.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of enforces
Verb
  • Metallica performs on an in-the-round-style stage, set up at the center of the venue.
    — Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Shortly after, Sheeran lost part of his backing band, which performs with him for a number of songs each night.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of performs
Verb
  • That assassinates Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sparking retaliatory attacks by Iran across the Middle East.
    — Jill Lawrence, Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2026
  • Soleimani assassination | Trump orders a drone strike in Iraq that assassinates Qasem Soleimani, an influential Iranian military commander.
    — Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 1 Mar. 2026
Definition of assassinates
Verb
  • The grapes are grown less than an hour north at its six-acre vineyard, which implements regenerative agriculture methods among other eco-conscious practices.
    — Abigail Bliss, Denver Post, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The new decree also implements other significant changes that had already been announced, including allowing the creation of private farming businesses, a restriction that has hindered food production on the island.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of implements
Verb
  • Civic Federation President Joe Ferguson agreed that whether or not Johnson fulfills his pledge to transparently outline the projection will prove critical.
    — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
  • This fulfills a key demand for nearly 30 percent of consumers.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of fulfills
Verb
  • By definition, a serial killer is someone who murders two or more people during separate events, with gaps of time in between.
    — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026
  • To get even with Kanan, Juke murders Raq, her surrogate mother.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of murders
Verb
  • But in following his friend and fellow war journalist, the titular Osama Al-Ashi, over a single year from the birth of his son in mid-2024 to his first birthday, Hassouna accomplishes something not many filmmakers set out to.
    — Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
  • If grilling, closing the grill for the final minutes accomplishes the same result.
    — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of accomplishes
Verb
  • The original seven-season series followed Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, a young woman who slays vampires, demons and other supernatural creatures with the help of her friends.
    — Isabelle Farina, Variety, 13 Sep. 2026
  • The open back instantly elevates it beyond a basic long-sleeve, and the just-so crop absolutely slays.
    — Annie Blackman, InStyle, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of slays

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Cite this Entry

“Executes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/executes. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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