chief executive

American  

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

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of chief executive

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

They were Tonia Arey, a real estate agent who lives in the San Fernando Valley; Tomás Sidenfaden, a tech firm chief executive; and Carmenlina Minasova, a medical professional and resident of the Valley.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

"It used to be somewhat hard to make these things. Now anyone can do it in seconds," said Brian Long, chief executive of Adaptive Security, a company offering trainings on AI fraud protection.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

“A younger liver helps you survive that disease or recover from it much better than an old one would,” said Jacob Kimmel, NewLimit’s newly appointed chief executive.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

The 61-year-old, who served as SNP chief executive for more than 20 years, faces a lengthy jail term after pleading guilty last week.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

Perhaps following the lead of the state’s chief executive, Durham first used the bureaucratic device that could be called “Death by Committee.”

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson