executive officer
Americannoun
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the officer second in command of a military or naval organization.
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an officer charged with executive duties, as in a corporation.
noun
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XO. the second-in-command of any of certain military units
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a specialist seaman officer, responsible under the captain for the routine efficient running of the ship in the US, British (formerly), and certain other navies
Etymology
Origin of executive officer
First recorded in 1780–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The deal is one of the first big moves by Greg Abel, who succeeded Warren Buffett as chief executive officer in January.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
Ph.D., chief executive officer and chairman of Revolution Medicines, said in a press release on Sunday.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026
STV's chief executive officer Rufus Radcliffe said the company had to respond to the "significant shift" in audience behaviour.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
“This could create serious consequences, including a potential zeroing out of the state’s support for critical emission reduction programs,” said Phillip Fine, executive officer at the Bay Area Air District.
From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 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
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.