Synonym Chooser

How does the verb perform contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of perform are accomplish, achieve, discharge, effect, execute, and fulfill. While all these words mean "to carry out or into effect," perform implies action that follows established patterns or procedures or fulfills agreed-upon requirements and often connotes special skill.

performed gymnastics

When would accomplish be a good substitute for perform?

The meanings of accomplish and perform largely overlap; however, accomplish stresses the successful completion of a process rather than the means of carrying it out.

accomplished everything they set out to do

How are the words achieve and accomplish related as synonyms of perform?

Achieve adds to accomplish the implication of conquered difficulties.

achieve greatness

Where would discharge be a reasonable alternative to perform?

The words discharge and perform are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, discharge implies execution and completion of appointed duties or tasks.

discharged his duties

How do effect and achieve relate to one another, in the sense of perform?

Effect adds to achieve an emphasis on the inherent force in the agent capable of surmounting obstacles.

effected sweeping reforms

When might execute be a better fit than perform?

The synonyms execute and perform are sometimes interchangeable, but execute stresses the carrying out of what exists in plan or in intent.

executed the hit-and-run

In what contexts can fulfill take the place of perform?

Although the words fulfill and perform have much in common, fulfill implies a complete realization of ends or possibilities.

fulfilled their ambitions

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 perform Flowering cherries are among gardeners' favorite spring blooming trees, but not all cherries perform well in the South. Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 27 June 2025 It's been amazing to be able to perform and step out into this new era. Ilana Kaplan, People.com, 26 June 2025 But for all its funny parts, the show highlights Reilly’s mellifluous croon, honed from an upbringing performing musical theatre. Jason Newman, Rolling Stone, 15 June 2025 Taylor Swift performs onstage during the Eras Tour in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on November 24, 2023. Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for perform
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perform
Verb
  • But the next challenge will be executing those plans.
    Adam Rasmi, Time, 20 June 2025
  • In total, fighter jets and helicopters from the Chinese aircraft carriers executed over 1,000 takeoffs and landings during this western Pacific deployment, which lasted nearly a month.
    Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • Waheed spent several months shooting one video while teaching himself writing, filming, editing, and acting.
    Steven Bertoni, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
  • Katie Miller, who at one point acted as DOGE spokesperson and is married to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, has left to work for Musk.
    Stephen Fowler, NPR, 16 June 2025
Verb
  • The Liberty were overpowered by a refreshed Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever squad while playing shorthanded without Jonquel Jones.
    Devin Robertson, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
  • There was a time when everyone at a crypto event saw themselves as an outsider, and the VC industry viewed crypto venture capitalists as a different breed playing a different game.
    Ani Freedman, Fortune, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • But without the compliance of countries that manufacture such things, including Japan and the Netherlands, U.S. restrictions won’t work.
    KORI SCHAKE, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
  • View gallery - 6 images For the last few years, Italian engineers have been working on a humanoid robot for emergency response applications.
    Paul Ridden June 24, New Atlas, 24 June 2025
Verb
  • Located outside Doha, Qatar, the base serves as the forward headquarters for U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and houses approximately 10,000 troops.
    Amanda Castro Hannah Parry Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025
  • The tune served as the second official promotional cut from A Rush of Blood to the Head, Coldplay’s sophomore album.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • Oh Ae-sun (played by K-pop superstar IU, who also portrays Ae-sun’s daughter Geum-myeong) is a poor but ambitious girl who grows up on South Korea’s Jeju Island in the 1950s and 1960s.
    Regina Kim, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
  • The feds’ case portrayed the mogul as a ruthless and micromanaging boss who, during the two decades before his September 2024 arrest, abused his larger-than-life status in the industry to control his employees and lovers alike through violence and intimidation.
    Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 24 June 2025
Verb
  • His influence on Chelsea’s sequences of possession is almost entirely focused on the left ‘pocket’ or half-space, operating alongside Cole Palmer as one of two advanced creators in a ‘box’ midfield.
    Liam Twomey, New York Times, 28 June 2025
  • The project is still in its early days, but the state plans to work with private companies to build and operate the facility.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • In the mid-1970s, Montreal functioned as a point of passage and reassembly for dance records circulating internationally.
    Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 16 June 2025
  • The first floor features an education and art-making studio at the rear and the spacious Center for Learning and Engagement space, which will function as something of a living room for visitors and neighbors.
    Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Perform.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perform. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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