executor

American  

[ig-zek-yuh-ter, ek-si-kyoo-ter] / ɪgˈzɛk yə tər, ˈɛk sɪˌkyu tər /

noun

1. a person who executes, carries out, or performs some duty, job, assignment, artistic work, etc.

2. Law. a person named in a decedent's will to carry out the provisions of that will.

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executor British  

/ ɪɡˈzɛkjʊtə /

noun

1. law a person appointed by a testator to carry out the wishes expressed in his will

2. a person who executes

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Other Word Forms

• executorial
  adjective
• executorship
  noun
• preexecutor
  noun
• subexecutor
  noun
• unexecutorial
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of executor

1250–1300; Middle English executour < Latin execūtor, equivalent to execū ( tus ) ( see execute) + -tor, -tor; replacing Middle English esecutor < Anglo-French essecutour < Latin, as above

Compare meaning

How does executor compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• executor vs. executrix

Explanation

You're most likely to hear the word executor in an attorney's office, since it means a person who is legally responsible for ensuring that a will's directions are followed. The executor of a will is in charge of making sure that people listed as beneficiaries — in other words, the people who inherit money or property — receive what has been willed to them. When writing a will, most people will choose a responsible adult to be executor. The Latin root, executionem, means "an accomplishing" or "a carrying out."

Example Sentences

In 1935, the court handed down a case known as Humphrey’s Executor, which held that presidents couldn’t fire agency officials simply over policy disagreements.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

Past presidents had signed those measures into law, and a unanimous Supreme Court upheld them 90 years ago in a case called Humphrey’s Executor vs.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2025

The supermajority then scolded lower courts for failing to anticipate that Humphrey’s Executor had, for all practical purposes, been silently overruled.

From Slate • Dec. 4, 2025

The lower courts all sided with her, citing the clear precedent in Humphrey’s Executor.

From Salon • Sep. 25, 2025

The Executor called Mr. Appleton's attention to this fact.

From The Will of Samuel Appleton with remarks by one of the executors by Appleton, Samuel