Oval Office

American  

noun

1. the office of the president of the United States, located in the White House.

2. this office regarded as the seat of executive power in the U.S. federal government.

---

Oval Office British  

noun

1. the private office of the president of the US, a large oval room in the White House

2. the US presidency

---

Oval Office Cultural  

1. An oval-shaped room in the White House that serves as the official office of the president of the United States. Since the presidency of Richard Nixon, the term has been used to refer to the president himself: “The order came directly from the Oval Office.”

---

Etymology

Origin of Oval Office

An Americanism dating back to 1960–65; so called from the shape of the room

Example Sentences

I remember it - I was there, in the Oval Office of the White House.

From BBC

“Best Oval Office ever,” he bragged External link in September.

From Barron's

In a controversial speech in the Oval Office in September, the US president said doctors would be advised not to prescribe the pain reliever to pregnant women.

From BBC

The Oval Office comments came after the U.S. evacuated some personnel from a Qatar air base in a move described as a precaution.

From The Wall Street Journal

The addition would sit above the famous white-columned colonnade, where presidents have been pictured for decades strolling on their way from the main residence to the Oval Office.

From Barron's