finalize

Finalize is a verb meaning to complete or bring something to its final state, especially after a period of review or negotiation. The word derives from final, from Latin finalis, with the English suffix -ize indicating causing to be or become.

In common usage, people finalize plans, budgets, reports, contracts, or product versions. Finalization encompasses completing remaining steps, incorporating changes, and obtaining formal approval, after which the item is considered ready for implementation, release, or signing.

In business and law, finalization denotes the formal conclusion of an agreement or decision. A contract is finalized when its terms are settled and the parties sign it or otherwise bind themselves. In project management, finalization follows design and review and precedes execution.

In manufacturing and product development, finalization includes confirming specifications, validating quality checks, and authorizing production. In publishing, a manuscript is finalized when edits are complete and the final version is prepared for printing or distribution.

In computing, finalize can denote cleanup actions at the end of an object's lifecycle or process. In Java, the Object.finalize method historically performed cleanup before garbage collection but is deprecated and not guaranteed to run; many developers avoid relying on it. Other languages use destructors or explicit disposal patterns to ensure resource release, rather than language-provided finalization.

Alternative spellings include finalisation (British) and finalization (American).