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

The remaining trustees include the five unchanged ex officio members, a representative of the alumni associations and a faculty trustee selected by the Academic Senate of CSU instead of appointed by the governor. —Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2026

By virtue of their positions, these lawmakers are ex officio members of the Kennedy Center's board. —ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026

By virtue of their positions, these lawmakers are ex officio members of the Kennedy Center’s board. —Steven Sloan, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026

Phil Mendelson, an ex officio member of the commission and chairman of the council of the District of Columbia, voted against the project. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 Apr. 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