1. Putting a condemned person to death
   "The executing of prisoners by firing squad was a controversial practice";
   - execution, capital punishment, death penalty

1. Carry out an action
   "the skater executed a triple pirouette";
   - perform, do
    
2. Cause to happen; complete successfully
   "execute the decision of the people";
   - carry through, accomplish, carry out, action, fulfill [N. Amer], fulfil [Brit, Cdn]
    
3. Carry out a process or program, as on a computer or a machine
   "the computer executed the instruction";
   - run
    
4. Carry out the legalities of
   "execute a will or a deed"
    
5. Sign in the presence of witnesses
   "The President executed the treaty"
    
6. Kill as a means of socially sanctioned punishment
   "In some states, criminals are executed";
   - put to death
    
7. Murder in a planned fashion
   "The Mafioso who collaborated with the police was executed"

Type of: act, apply, bump off [informal], complete, corporal punishment, croak [informal], despatch [Brit], dispatch, effect, effectuate, enforce, finish, implement, kill, move, murder, off [N. Amer, informal], penalise [Brit], penalize, polish off [informal], punish, sanction, set up, sign, slay [literary]

Encyclopedia: Executing