86
Opinion of the Court
Hospital v. Mercury Constr. Corp., 460 U. S. 1, 22 (1983); id., at 24. In accordance with that purpose, petitioners point out, § 16 generally permits immediate appeal of orders hostile to arbitration, whether the orders are final or interlocu-tory, but bars appeal of interlocutory orders favorable to arbitration.
Section 16(a)(3), however, preserves immediate appeal of any "final decision with respect to an arbitration," regardless of whether the decision is favorable or hostile to arbitration. And as petitioners and respondent agree, the term "final decision" has a well-developed and longstanding meaning. It is a decision that " 'ends the litigation on the merits and leaves nothing more for the court to do but execute the judgment.' " Digital Equipment Corp. v. Desktop Direct, Inc., 511 U. S. 863, 867 (1994), and Coopers & Lybrand v. Livesay, 437 U. S. 463, 467 (1978) (both quoting Catlin v. United States, 324 U. S. 229, 233 (1945)). See also St. Louis, I. M. & S. R. Co. v. Southern Express Co., 108 U. S. 24, 28-29 (1883). Because the FAA does not define "a final decision with respect to an arbitration" or otherwise suggest that the ordinary meaning of "final decision" should not apply, we accord the term its well-established meaning. See Evans v. United States, 504 U. S. 255, 259-260 (1992).
The District Court's order directed that the dispute be resolved by arbitration and dismissed respondent's claims with prejudice, leaving the court nothing to do but execute the judgment. That order plainly disposed of the entire case on the merits and left no part of it pending before the court. The FAA does permit parties to arbitration agreements to bring a separate proceeding in a district court to enter judgment on an arbitration award once it is made (or to vacate or modify it), but the existence of that remedy does not vitiate the finality of the District Court's resolution of the claims in the instant proceeding. 9 U. S. C. §§ 9, 10, 11. The District Court's order was therefore "a final decision with respect to an arbitration" within the meaning of § 16(a)(3), and
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