perform
/pəˈfɔːm/ IELTSAcademic
verb
- 1.
To do a task, duty, or action. This is the most common meaning in formal and everyday English.
- She performs her duties well.
- Please perform the test again.
- 2.
To act, sing, dance, or play music for an audience.
- The band will perform tonight.
- She performed in a school play.
- 3.
To work or function in a particular way.
- The new phone performs better.
- This engine performs poorly in cold weather.
Adinary Nuance
Perform is broader than do and more formal than just 'do something'. In business, school, and official writing, it often sounds natural for duties, tests, and tasks. For shows and sports, it means to give a planned public act, while 'play' or 'appear' may fit better in some contexts.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- thực hiện
- Spanish
- realizar
- Chinese
- 执行
- Japanese
- 実行する
- Korean
- 수행하다
Etymology
Perform comes from Old French parfornir, meaning 'to carry out' or 'complete'. It entered English in the Middle Ages and later gained the sense of giving a public show.
Common phrases
perform a taskperform wellperform on stageperform an operation
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is perform formal or informal?
- It is usually neutral to formal. It is common in work, school, and official writing.
- What is the difference between perform and do?
- Perform is often more formal and focused on a task, duty, or planned action. Do is more general and common in everyday speech.
- Can perform be used for music and theatre?
- Yes. It means to act, sing, dance, or play for an audience.
- Is perform used for machines or devices?
- Yes. It can describe how well a machine, system, or product works.