executive order

American  

noun

(often initial capital letters)

• executive orders
  plural

1. an order having the force of law issued by the president of the U.S. to the army, navy, or other part of the executive branch of the government.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• executive orders
  plural

Etymology

Origin of executive order

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

executive order

After US President Donald Trump called for UFO files to be released in an executive order earlier this year, the Pentagon has declassified hundreds of files in a series of six drops.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

President Trump in March signed an executive order emphasizing “truthful advertising” and suggesting that the FTC require e-commerce sellers to develop formal processes for verifying third-party sellers’ country-of-origin claims.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Schwarzenegger’s executive order reducing the license fee to its former rate resulted in billions of dollars of losses to the state’s general fund.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

The initial executive order was followed by two others with the same thrust.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

By executive order President Truman desegregated the military in 1948, raising expectations among black Americans that conditions would improve even more.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson