chief executive

American  

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

noun

• chief executives
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• chief executives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of chief executive

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chief executive

Peter Sparkes, chief executive of the RNLI, said recent events had "generated deliberate misinformation and a misunderstanding about the RNLI".

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

Lance Hastings, chief executive of the California Manufacturers & Technology Assn., said in a statement Friday that the governor’s veto protects “the ability of manufacturers to innovate and create here in California.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Joon Sung Park, chief executive of AI startup Simile, and Tilak Mandadi and Sri Narasimhan of CVS Health discuss the practical applications, accuracy and enterprise potential of AI-driven human behavior simulations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

He had already handed over the reins as chief executive to hand-picked successor Greg Abel at the end of last year.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

In 1943—the same year that saw North Carolina’s chief executive assuring citizens that both races found segregation “sound and sensible”—a sixteen-year-old black Durham high school student challenged the ordinance.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson