chief executive

noun

: a principal executive: such as
a
: the president of a republic
b
: the governor of a state
c
: ceo

Examples of chief executive in a Sentence

The President is the chief executive of the U.S.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Astronomer has announced its board of directors has accepted Andy Byron’s resignation, prompting the beginning of the company’s impromptu search for its next chief executive officer. Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 19 July 2025 The defamation suit, filed in the Southern District Court of Florida late Friday, asks for at least $10 billion in damages and also names the Journal's parent company NewsCorp, its chief executive Robert Thomson, NewsCorp Chairman Rupert Murdoch and the two reporters who authored the story. Stephen Fowler, NPR, 18 July 2025 Speaking before the Open this week at Royal Portrush, R&A chief executive Mark Darbon said transportation and other issues had to be addressed before Turnberry gets its hands on the oldest major championship again. Steve Douglas, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2025 And Eric Schmidt, Google’s chief executive from 2001 to 2011, said the biggest challenge in achieving and utilizing superintelligence will be having enough electricity to power it all. Dave Smith, Fortune, 18 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for chief executive

Word History

First Known Use

1793, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chief executive was in 1793

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Cite this Entry

“Chief executive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chief%20executive. Accessed 27 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

chief executive

noun
: a principal executive: as
a
: the president of a republic
b
: the governor of a state
c
: ceo
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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