chief executive

American  

[cheef ig-zek-yuh-tiv] / ˈtʃif ɪgˈzɛk jə tɪv /

noun

chief executives plural

1. the president of the United States.

   the powers of the chief executive, as granted by the Constitution.

2. the governor of a U.S. state.

   the newly elected chief executive of Rhode Island.

3. the head of a government.

   a conference attended by all the European chief executives.

4. Also called chief executive officer.  the head of an organization, company, etc..

   the chief executive of a media corporation.

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chief executive British  

noun

1. the person with overall responsibility for the efficient running of a company, organization, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• chief executives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of chief executive

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chief executive

Alan Morrison, chief executive of Arrow Lab, says the company has a painstaking process to review each kit component to prevent contamination.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Meanwhile, the chief executive of the Football Association has backed England to use the "learnings" from their defeat to Argentina and "challenge for silverware" when they co-host the European Championships in 2028.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

“Markets already move on Truth Social posts,” said Kevin McGurn, Trump Media’s interim chief executive.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026

Watt stood down as chief executive in 2024 and moved to a newly created position of "captain and co-founder".

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

Then IBM acquired a new chief executive officer who changed things drastically: IBM now has a more Microsoft-like organization, and I’m told that IBM’s innovativeness has improved as a result.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond