perpetrar

to perpetrate

verb pehr-peh-TRAHR Rare

Usage Note

Perpetrar is a formal legal term used almost exclusively with crimes: perpetrar un delito, perpetrar un atentado. It implies deliberate execution rather than accidental harm. In everyday speech, learners are more likely to encounter cometer (to commit) as a near synonym, but perpetrar carries a stronger sense of calculated wrongdoing.

Examples

"Los ladrones perpetraron el robo de noche."

Natural Translation

The thieves perpetrated the robbery at night.

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