ex officio

adverb or adjective

ex of·​fi·​cio ˌek-sə-ˈfi-shē-ˌō 

-sē-

: by virtue or because of an office

The Vice President serves ex officio as president of the Senate.

Examples of ex officio in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell blasted this point when Beatty initially made it in December, saying that ex officio members of the board, including Beatty, never get votes. —Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 6 Mar. 2026

According to the center, all ex officio members were invited to the upcoming meeting. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026

Grenell countered that ex officio members don’t get a vote. —Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2026

Democratic Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, who is an ex officio board member of the center, has filed a lawsuit challenging the renaming. —Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR, 7 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin

First Known Use

circa 1532, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

ex officio

adverb or adjective

ex of·​fi·​cio ˌeks-ə-ˈfish-ē-ˌō 

-ˈfis-

: because of an office

the Vice President serves ex officio as president of the Senate

Legal Definition

ex officio

adverb or adjective

ex of·​fic·​io ˈeks-ə-ˈfi-shē-ō, -sē-ō 

: by virtue or because of an office

the Vice President serves ex officio as president of the Senate

an ex officio member of the board

Etymology

Late Latin