Hanging is the act of killing a person by suspending them from the neck with a noose or ligature. This act may be carried out by either dropping the victim from a height causing the neck to snap, often killing the individual instantly. The standard distance for a drop is between 4 and 6 feet. A longer drop would be between 6 and 10 feet. Long-drop hangings are still practiced as the method of execution in a few countries, including Japan, Singapore, Iran and Iraq.

A second, more painful hanging method is enacted by placing a noose about the victim's head and slowly hoisting them up by the neck with the use of a fulcrum; this act of strangulation takes considerably longer for the victim to die, and is not a recognized for of legal execution.

Hanging has a history as an accepted form of capital punishment going back to the Middle Ages and has been the primary method of execution in many countries and regions. The first known account of execution by hanging was recorded in Homer's Odyssey.

As a note of importance, Hanging is not only a means of executing or killing another person, but has also been used as a means of suicide.