From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishperpetrateper‧pe‧trate /ˈpɜːpətreɪt $ ˈpɜːr-/ verb [transitive] formal DOto do something that is morally wrong or illegal → commit Who could have perpetrated such a dreadful crime? —perpetration /ˌpɜːpəˈtreɪʃən $ ˌpɜːr-/ noun [uncountable]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
perpetrate• Another element is the continuing presence of organized white supremacists in our society and the violence they perpetrate.• That was what made Feeley innocent, no matter what outrages he perpetrated.• The rumor was that I had invented him to perpetrate a hoax and had actually written the books myself.• an extremist group that had perpetrated bombings and other acts of terror• Most such attempts, it concluded, are actually perpetrated by authorised users, and can usually be covered by existing law.• The kinds of attack perpetrated by women seldom use deadly force.• A bluff she had perpetrated mainly on herself to give herself the strength to go on living.• He was merely perpetrating that deprivation.Origin perpetrate (1500-1600) Latin past participle of perpetrare “to achieve something” 