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

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

“An executive order comes out, it was going to get challenged.”

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026

The government is now drawing up criteria for which AI models would fall under new security restrictions, in accordance with an executive order from the White House.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

Two months later, he signed an executive order that would give millions of workers access to retirement plans if their employers didn’t provide one.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 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