executive

adjective

ex·ec·u·tive | \ ig-ˈze-k(y)ə-tiv

, -kyü-\

Definition of executive

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : of or relating to the execution of the laws and the conduct of public and national affairs

b : belonging to the branch of government that is charged with such powers as diplomatic representation, superintendence of the execution of the laws, and appointment of officials and that usually has some power over legislation (as through veto) — compare judicial, legislative

2a : designed for or relating to execution or carrying into effect executive board

b : having administrative or managerial responsibility executive director

3 : of or relating to an executive the executive offices

executive

noun

Definition of executive (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : the executive branch of a government also : the person or persons who constitute the executive magistracy of a state

2 : a directing or controlling office of an organization

3 : one that exercises administrative or managerial control

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about executive

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Examples of executive in a Sentence

Adjective

She has good executive skills. He has an executive position in the company. In the U.S., the President is the head of the executive branch of government.

Noun

The television network's executives decided not to air the controversial show. The President is the chief executive of the U.S. matters of policy controlled by the executive

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The South American flavors provided a tease of Chila, Andrés Porcel’s remarkable restaurant where Bargero serves as executive chef. — Ian Malone, Vogue, "Daniel Bouloud Hosts a Decadent Dinner in Support of Citymeals on Wheels," 12 Mar. 2019 Though red beets are the most common variety, many other types don't contain betalains, the pigments responsible for their bright pink color, Matt Aita, executive chef at The Little Beet Table in New York City, tells SELF. — Audrey Bruno, SELF, "Yes, It Is Possible to Prep and Cook Beets Without Making a Huge Mess—Here's How," 27 Feb. 2019 In November, Eric, 41, signed a deal with CBS to executive produce two shows, a comedy as well as a medical drama about trauma nurses. — Marie Milano, Country Living, "'NCIS: LA' Star Eric Christian Olsen and His Wife Sarah Wright Are the Cutest Couple Ever," 20 Jan. 2019 Gibson was the former executive director at CUP until December 2018, and prior to that was the COO of the Employee Resource Group at Goldman Sachs. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Who Is Cory Booker Dating? Here's Everything We Know," 1 Feb. 2019 Catch-22 is his first major television project since, and Clooney tripled his duty as an executive producer and director of two episodes. — Maggie Maloney, Town & Country, "The First Trailer for George Clooney's New Series Catch-22 Is Finally Here," 13 Feb. 2019 As an executive producer on the ABC drama, Longoria was in position to do something about it. — Beth Harris, The Seattle Times, "Eva Longoria works in front, behind camera on ‘Grand Hotel’," 6 Feb. 2019 On Twitter, the executive producer on Netflix's Fyre, Gabrielle Bluestone, drew attention to Rolle, both her heroic efforts to feed workers and the financial consequences. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "The Woman Who Became the Hero of Fyre Festival," 18 Jan. 2019 Ann Druyan will return in her roles as executive producer, writer, and director, along with Seth MacFarlane, Brannon Braga, and Jason Clark in various capacities. — Maude Campbell, Popular Mechanics, "The 2019 Sci-Fi TV Guide," 16 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

In the kitchen, over a plate of charcuterie, Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen entertained executives from the development’s ownership, Related Properties. — Zachary Weiss, Vogue, "13,000 Guests Attended the Opening of Hudson Yards—Anne Hathaway and Gisele Included," 15 Mar. 2019 Companies are electing enterprise technology executives to serve on boards at a growing clip, WSJ CIO Journal has previously reported. — Angus Loten, WSJ, "Companies With Tech Expertise on the Board See Higher Revenue Growth, MIT Study Finds," 13 Mar. 2019 It was created by Catherine Reitman, who also writes, executive produces, and stars the show, and is otherwise best known for her roles in ABC’s hit show Black-ish and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. — Lindsey Benoit O’connell, Good Housekeeping, "Netflix's 'Workin' Moms' Gets Me More Than Any Other Show," 7 Mar. 2019 Epstein had at one time been an investor in a hedge fund managed by those executives. — Jane Coaston, Vox, "Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who is friends with Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, explained," 22 Feb. 2019 Using a broad interpretation of his executive powers, Trump declared an emergency last week to obtain wall funding beyond the $1.4 billion Congress approved for border security. — Catherine Lucey, The Seattle Times, "Trump says he has ‘absolute right’ to declare emergency," 20 Feb. 2019 On January 22, Tamron announced that the one-hour show will have Bill Geddie as its executive producer. — Selena Barrientos, Good Housekeeping, "All the Details About Tamron Hall's New Show You Need to Know," 22 Jan. 2019 This might explain why so many top Tesla executives ankled the company, including the head of global finance and the company’s accounting lead. — Sean O'kane, The Verge, "The Verge 2018 tech report card: Tesla," 29 Dec. 2018 An Amazon executive was asked at a City Council meeting last month whether the company would agree to unionization. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Amazon Escapes From New York," 14 Feb. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'executive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near executive

Statistics for executive

Last Updated

18 Mar 2019

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Time Traveler for executive

The first known use of executive was in 1649

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More Definitions for executive

executive

noun

English Language Learners Definition of executive

: a person who manages or directs other people in a company or organization

: the executive branch of a government

See the full definition for executive in the English Language Learners Dictionary

executive

adjective

ex·ec·u·tive | \ ig-ˈze-kyə-tiv

Kids Definition of executive

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : fitted for or relating to the managing or directing of things Claudia showed the executive ability of a corporation president.— E. L. Konigsburg, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

2 : relating to the carrying out of the law and the conduct of public affairs the executive branch of government

executive

noun

Kids Definition of executive (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a person who manages or directs a sales executive

2 : the executive branch of a government

executive

adjective

ex·ec·u·tive

Legal Definition of executive

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : of or relating to the execution or carrying out of laws serving a warrant is an executive function especially : belonging to the branch of government that is charged with such powers as diplomatic representation, overseeing the execution of laws, and appointment of officials — see also administrative — compare judicial, legislative

2a : of or relating to execution

b : having administrative or managerial responsibility an executive director

3 : of, relating to, or issued by an executive an executive pardon