Word definition: perform

Etimology


From Middle English performen, parfournen (“to perform”), from Anglo-Norman performer, parfourmer, alteration of Old French parfornir, parfurnir (“to complete, accomplish, perform”), from par- + fornir, furnir (“to accomplish, furnish”), from Frankish *frummjan (“to accomplish, furnish”), from Proto-Germanic *frumjaną, *framjaną (“to further, promote”), from Proto-Indo-European *promo- (“in front, forth”), *per- (“forward, out”). Cognate with Old High German frummen (“to do, execute, accomplish, provide”), Old Saxon frummian (“to perform, promote”), Old English fremman (“to perform, execute, carry out, accomplish”), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌿𐌼𐌾𐌰𐌽 (frumjan, “to promote, accomplish”). See also frame, from.

verb


perform (third-person singular simple present performs, present participle performing, simple past and past participle performed)

(transitive) To do (something); to execute.

(intransitive) To exhibit an expected pattern of behavior; to function; to work.

(law) To act in a way set forth in a contract.

(transitive, intransitive) To do (something) in front of an audience, such as acting or music, often in order to entertain.

(by extension, transitive) To behave theatrically so as to give the impression of (a quality, character trait, etc.); to feign.

(social sciences) Of a social actor, to behave in certain ways.

Examples


The scientists performed several experiments.

It took him only twenty minutes to perform the task.

Turbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo, meaning vortex, and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work.

The new employee performs well.

I could care less how she perform when she in the bed

Failure to perform a contract on time may constitute a breach of contract.

They entered into an agreement and now they are obliged to perform.

She will perform in the play.

The magician performed badly—none of his tricks worked.

The string quartet performed three pieces by Haydn.

Perform a part thou hast not done before.

The accused only performed remorse.

As things now stand, Brexit is a pointless gesture, a politics of headlines in which sovereignty is performed by bleating world-beating absurdities.

perform masculinity

perform authority

Even before her seven decades as monarch began, she performed Britishness more intuitively than anyone ever had, or likely ever will again.

Individuals in societies perform all the time.

Data provided by Wiktionary