performed

Performed is the past tense and past participle of the verb perform. It denotes the execution or completion of an action, task, or duty, and, in the arts, the appearance of a musical, theatrical, or other presentation. In broader usage, it can indicate that something has been done or carried out according to plan, instruction, or specification.

Etymology traces performed to the Latin formare meaning to shape or form, via the French verb performance/performer into English. The sense shifted over time from “to complete” or “to execute” a duty to include presenting music, drama, or other acts. Grammatically, performed is used transitively (to perform a task) or in passive constructions (the task was performed).

Usage spans several domains. In everyday language it describes completing actions: “She performed the task efficiently.” In the arts, a musician or actor is said to have performed a work or role. In science and engineering, an experiment or procedure may be described as performed, though writers may prefer conduct, execute, or carry out in formal contexts. In computing, a processor performs operations as part of a program.

Common synonyms include execute, carry out, conduct, and implement. The verb can function as an adjective in constructions like “a performed task,” though more natural usage often uses the past participle in passive or adjectival phrases (e.g., “the performed procedure” is less common than “the procedure was performed” or “the performed operation”).

See also: performance, performer, perform, performance arts.