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

Three days after the executive order, the White House implemented the order through National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, which converts the fiction into machinery.

From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order that directed the state to review policies and practices that help displaced workers and efforts to improve training for the unemployed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

New York became the first US state to halt construction of new large-scale data centers on Tuesday, with the governor signing an executive order pausing permits for up to one year.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

Ms. Hochul announced the moratorium Tuesday in an executive order that suspends permitting for data centers while her administration works on a “regulatory framework.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

He wrote an exception note to the Red Zone executive order, allowing them legal passage to Spirit Lake.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone