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

See Examples For:

Oval Office

Ryder Williams, 16, met with Trump at the Oval Office, after the president announced that Ryder would receive a “High Civilian Honor” for the rescue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Before that, however, I picked up a greeting card, which featured a pop-up display of Donald and Melania Trump in the Oval Office.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

Yet during the Oval Office signing, Trump made a series of incendiary and unsupported statements, including: "Together, there could be a possibility they are quite lethal."

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

Burnham has signalled a shift in north sea oil policy, earning praise from the Oval Office, but the dynamic between Miliband and Rubio will be closely watched.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

I laughed when I saw little Caroline run on the beach in a tiny swimsuit and when John John paraded around his father’s Oval Office in his sailor suit.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry