self-executing

American  

[self-ek-si-kyoo-ting, self-] / ˌsɛlfˈɛk sɪˌkju tɪŋ, ˈsɛlf- /

adjective

1. going into effect immediately without the need of supplementary legislation.

   a self-executing treaty.

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self-executing British  

adjective

1. (of a law, treaty, or clause in a deed or contract, etc) coming into effect automatically at a specified time, no legislation or other action being needed for enforcement

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Etymology

Origin of self-executing

First recorded in 1865–70

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

self-executing

As investors buy them, self-executing software automatically buys shares in the underlying ETFs that make up the portfolio.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

The justices may also have to decide whether the language of the amendment is "self-executing" - that is, whether it was not necessary for Congress to pass accompanying legislation to give the amendment teeth.

From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2024

Importantly, the Supreme Court in 1883 declared that the 14th Amendment is “undoubtedly self-executing without any ancillary legislation.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2024

The article similarly notes that Section 3 is "self-executing, operating as an immediate disqualification from office."

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2023

Two early cases in which Chief Justice Marshall spoke for the Court, stand for the proposition that treaties, so far as self-executing, repeal earlier conflicting acts of Congress.

From The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation Annotations of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States to June 30, 1952 by Edward Samuel Corwin

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