chief executive

American  

[cheef ig-zek-yuh-tiv] / ˈtʃif ɪgˈzɛk yə tɪv /

noun

1. the president of the United States.

   the powers of the chief executive, as granted by the Constitution.

2. the governor of a U.S. state.

   the newly elected chief executive of Rhode Island.

3. the head of a government.

   a conference attended by all the European chief executives.

4. Also called chief executive officer.  the head of an organization, company, etc..

   the chief executive of a media corporation.

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chief executive British  

noun

1. the person with overall responsibility for the efficient running of a company, organization, etc

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Etymology

Origin of chief executive

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

John Swinney has rejected calls for a Holyrood inquiry into former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, who admitted this week to embezzling more than £400,000 from the party.

From BBC • May 28, 2026

The chief executive of Bollore Group called on the record label to reject the bid from Pershing Square Capital.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

"It's an interesting new market where Europe is strong... Europe has significant high-end manufacturing companies," chief executive Arthur Mensch told reporters ahead of the company's AI conference in the French capital.

From Barron's • May 28, 2026

Loeb, the founder and chief executive of the hedge fund Third Point, was asked about the hardest lesson he’s ever learned on the “Invest Like the Best” podcast that was published on Thursday.

From MarketWatch • May 28, 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