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Synonyms

CEO

American  
Or C.E.O.

abbreviation

  1. chief executive officer: the head of an organization, company, etc.


CEO British  

abbreviation

  1. chief executive officer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of CEO

First recorded in 1910–15; originally Australian

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has offloaded his longtime Hawaii sanctuary for the staggering price of $36 million—just months after he invested $44 million in buying a luxury residence in Florida.

From MarketWatch Aug. 17, 2026

The defense contractor named Sam Mehta, the head of its space and communications systems business, as president and CEO.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 17, 2026

But the boss of oil company Adura, CEO Neil McCulloch, says fossil fuels will be needed for years to come and that producing them domestically will generate billions in tax revenues.

From BBC Aug. 17, 2026

The plan hasn’t seemed to change under current CEO Josh D’Amaro, who managed the Epic Games partnership in his previous role as parks chief and has emphasized the importance of technology in his new position.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 17, 2026

A small family business can survive and flourish without a board of directors, a CEO or an accounting department.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

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