executed

Executed is the past participle of the verb execute and may refer to the completion of an action, the formal completion of a document, or the carrying out of a plan. In general usage, to execute a task is to complete it or to perform it as intended. In legal and governmental contexts, execution often denotes carrying out a sentence, order, or policy.

In the context of criminal justice, execution refers to capital punishment, the state-imposed termination of a convicted person’s life. Practices have varied by country and era, including methods such as lethal injection, electrocution, and firing squad. Abolition movements and moratoriums have reduced or ended executions in many jurisdictions; debates focus on deterrence, ethics, and human rights, with international law recognizing the right to life while allowing for certain legal penalties in some systems.

In computing, execution is the process by which a program’s instructions are carried out by a computer’s processor or runtime environment. A program is said to be executed when the code runs, producing results or effects such as data processing or user interface updates.

In finance and business, execution describes the completion of an order or trade. An order is considered executed when it has been filled, fully or partially, at a given price, subject to market conditions and brokerage rules. In contract law, to execute an instrument means to sign and thereby make it legally binding; an executed contract or will has been signed and is in effect.

Etymology traces to Latin exsecutus, from ex- “out” and sequi “to follow.”