Macmillan Dictionary

Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

perform

 - definition
 
 
 
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
verb American English pronunciation: perform /pərˈfɔrm/ 
Word Forms
Close
present tense
I/you/we/theyperform
he/she/itperforms
present participleperforming
past tenseperformed
past participleperformed
Other entries for this word

Related dictionary definitions

  1. 1
    [intransitive/transitive] to do something in front of an audience in order to entertain them, for example by acting in a play or singing

    The opera was first performed in 1992.

    Akram went on to perform on stage in England and India.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of perform
  2. 2
    [transitive] to complete an action or activity, especially a complicated one
    perform a task/duty/service:

    Machines are capable of performing many routine tasks.

    perform an experiment/check/test:

    Two experiments were performed to test this hypothesis.

    perform a ceremony/rite/ritual:

    The priest will perform the ceremony on Saturday.

    perform miracles (=do things that seem almost impossible):

    an interior designer who can perform miracles with your home

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of perform
    1. a.
      [intransitive] to have a particular job or purpose

      Often a grandparent could perform the role of main carer.

      perform a function/role:

      The front teeth perform a cutting function.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of perform
  3. 3
    [intransitive] to do something with a particular amount of success

    Stress at home affects how you perform at work.

    perform well/poorly/satisfactorily:

    The tires perform well in wet or snowy conditions.

    The party had performed poorly in the elections.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of perform

This is the American English definition of perform. View British English definition of perform.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

 

charticle

a news article that consists of a chart … and only has a small amount of text

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

proton

the part of the nucleus of an atom that has a positive electrical charge

Open Dictionary

never event

an event that should never occur in a healthcare setting …

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog