performed

verb

past tense of perform
1
as in executed
to carry through (as a process) to completion she performed the task quickly and expertly

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in served
to have a certain purpose the kidneys perform as a filtering system for the blood

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in played
to present a portrayal or performance of has always dreamed of performing Hamlet on stage

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in worked
to produce a desired effect the new medication performed surprisingly well

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of performed The new version of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has been cut from a five-hour show performed across two parts to a single three-hour performance as it is performed on Broadway. — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2026 Drexler’s comedic sensibility was shaped, early on, by the vaudeville acts that performed in movie theatres in between screenings. — Leslie Camhi, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026 As part of 'The River Tour,' Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed on two successive nights at the Uptown that fall. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 The two candidates — incumbent Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman — have staked out differing positions about how the Los Angeles Police Department has performed under McDonnell. — Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 The source material provides Memoirs with an in-baked, flowery-yet-mannered visual language, and set designer Scott Pask has built off of it to transform the space of the musical, performed in the round, into an enfolding, velveteen club. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026 Work will be performed primarily in Fort Worth, Texas, where Lockheed Martin manufactures the aircraft, and at other undisclosed locations in the continental United States. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026 An accident may involve conduct by a resident, work performed by a contractor or a condition maintained by property staff. — Emma Clapp, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026 With distinct shapes for Bordeaux, Burgundy, Syrah/ Shiraz, Riesling, Chianti Classico, Sauvignon Blanc, Cognac, and Brandy, Vinum shifted how sommeliers performed their duties—and how the rest of us drank wine. — Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for performed
  1. executed
  2. served
  3. played
  4. worked
  5. accomplished
  6. acted
  7. portrayed
  8. operated
Verb
  • Instead of flying the drone remotely with individual controls, the F-22 pilot sent high-level tactical instructions that the drone’s onboard autonomy software interpreted and executed.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • There's no one character who came up with the idea and executed it … the existence of AI today comes down to many papers, many individual discoveries, and a whole lot of obsession.
    — Cooper Katz McKim, NPR, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of executed
Verb
  • Serhii Sternenko, who runs a foundation supplying drones to Ukrainian forces and previously served as an adviser to Ukraine's defense minister, also reported the Starlink speed limits and later said the speeds were being limited even further.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The actresses served on this year’s jury alongside existing members Edward Enninful, ex-editor-in-chief of British Vogue and co-founder of EE72, as well as Marie-Louise Khondji, founder of Le Cinéma Club, and BFI CEO Ben Roberts.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of served
Verb
  • With Rose unavailable, sophomore quarterback Gabriel Webster played in district games against Azle, Denton and Sherman.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Armstrong led the Chiefs in receiving yards in the preseason, so he’s played against NFL competition.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of played
Verb
  • That pushes marketers toward ideas that have worked before, which is why, Smith says, so many ads look alike.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
  • To crack the uncrackable, Rittmann’s team worked alongside collaborators from Rice University, Tongji University, the National University of Singapore, and Nanjing University.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of worked
Verb
  • Throughout the year, these frugal teams have accomplished quite a bit while matching up against the league’s high rollers.
    — Isaac Tellechea, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
  • This is accomplished through delivering an explosive warhead with low-density tungsten shrapnel and guidance by millimeter-wave radar for autonomous tracking and targeting.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of accomplished
Verb
  • For Rush, a republic that put citizens to death still acted like a monarchy, treating citizens’ lives as its own to dispose of.
    — Maurizio Valsania, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The Justice Department invoked national security only in court filings days after the White House acted against the reporters.
    — David Folkenflik, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of acted
Verb
  • This opinion has now shifted to Sam Mendes’s quartet of Beatles biopics, in which McCartney is being portrayed by Paul Mescal.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
  • In England, poet William Cowper portrayed Mai as an innocent corrupted by European society.
    — Saar Shahar, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of portrayed
Verb
  • The service previously operated the EC-130Q for TACAMO duties from 1963 through 1993, according to Lockheed Martin.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The team’s last-second win over the Philadelphia Eagles last week in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was organized and operated by the NFL, part of the league’s more standard rotation of all teams playing overseas.
    — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of operated

Browse Nearby Words

performances
performed
performer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Performed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/performed. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All