perform

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
14
Words With Friends
16
Letters
7
Pronunciation
/pəˈfɔːm/
See all 5 pronunciations
/pəˈfɔːm/ · [pʰəˈfɔːm] · /pɚˈfɔɹm/ · /pɹɪˈfɔːm/ · /pɹɪˈfɔɹm/

Definition of perform

9 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

verb

  1. (transitive)To do (something); to execute.
    “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.”
See all 9 definitions

verb

  1. (transitive)To do (something); to execute.
    “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.”
  2. (intransitive)To exhibit an expected pattern of behavior; to function; to work.
    “The new employee performs well.”
    “I could care less how she perform when she in the bed”
  3. (intransitive, uncommon)To exhibit an expected pattern of behavior; to function; to work.
  4. (transitive)To act in a way set forth in a contract.
    “Failure to perform a contract on time may constitute a breach of contract.”
  5. (intransitive)To act in a way set forth in a contract.
    “They entered into an agreement and now they are obliged to perform.”
  6. (ambitransitive)To do (something) in front of an audience, such as acting or music, often in order to entertain.
    “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.”
  7. (broadly, transitive)To behave theatrically so as to give the impression of (a quality, character trait, etc.); to feign.
    “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.”
  8. (transitive)Of a social actor, to behave in certain ways.
    “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.”
  9. (intransitive)Of a social actor, to behave in certain ways.
    “Individuals in societies perform all the time.”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From Middle English parformen, performen (“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…

See full etymology

From Middle English parformen, performen (“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”). See also frame, from. Modernly, rather than Proto-Germanic *frumjaną, associated with Latin formō, analyzable as per- + form.

Anagrams of perform

1 play · all valid Scrabble

Hooks

1 extension · 1 back

A single letter you can add to perform to make another valid word.

Find your best play with perform

See every word you can make from a set of letters that includes perform, or browse word lists you can mine for high-scoring plays.