executes

Executes is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb execute. It is used to indicate performing, carrying out, or putting into effect an action, plan, command, or procedure. In everyday language, a person or organization executes a plan, policy, agreement, or task. For example, a manager executes a project plan, and a software system executes a sequence of instructions.

In legal and business contexts, to execute a contract means to sign and formally complete the agreement, thereby making it binding. To execute a will means to carry out the directives contained in a will after death, or to perform the formal steps required to effectuate those wishes. The term can also appear in phrases such as “execute an order” or “execute a strategy,” emphasizing action and completion.

In computing, to execute means to carry out the instructions of a program by a processor or interpreter. The system executes code step by step, producing outputs or changes in state. This use highlights the difference between writing code and performing the resulting operations.

Historically, execute has a distinct sense related to capital punishment: to execute someone means to administer a legal sentence of death. This meaning is less common in modern everyday usage and is typically encountered in legal, historical, or criminological contexts. The overarching idea across senses is the realization or fulfillment of an intended action. Etymology traces the word to Latin exsequor, meaning to follow through or complete.