executions

Noun

execution (countable and uncountable, plural executions)

1. The act, manner or style of executing (actions, maneuvers, performances).
   • Already the poor man saw himself crowned by the might of his arm Emperor of Trebizond at least; and so, led away by the intense enjoyment he found in these pleasant fancies, he set himself forthwith to put his scheme into execution.1885, John Ormsby, chapter 1, in Don Quixoteᵂⁱᵏⁱˢᵒᵘʳᶜᵉ, volume 1, translation of original by Miguel de Cervantes
2. The state of being accomplished.
   • The mission's successful execution lifted the troops' morale.
3. The act of putting to death or being put to death as a penalty, or actions so associated.
   • Efforts to unionize were routinely met with clubbings, shootings, jailings, blacklistings and executions, perpetrated not only by well-armed legions of company goons, but also by police officers, deputies, National Guardsmen and even regular soldiers.2009 February 22, Kevin Baker, “Blood on the Street”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 25 Jan 2021
4. The carrying into effect of a court judgment, or of a will.
5. (archaic) Specifically, the seizure of a debtor's goods or property in default of payment.
   • There are two executions in the house, one for sixteen hundred, the other for two thousand three hundred pounds.1792, Charlotte Smith, Desmond, Broadview, published 2001, page 166
6. The formal process by which a contract is made valid and put into binding effect.

See all 7 meanings of execution