executive order

noun

: regulation sense 2b

Examples of executive order in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The president signed an executive order on March 31 that attempts to change the rules on mail-in voting, and his allies in Congress are endeavoring to reshape elections ahead of the midterms this fall, spending weeks debating a voter-ID bill that is almost certainly doomed. —Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026

The report said a nonbinary category used in 2024 was removed because of a federal executive order. —Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 14 May 2026

Congress approve an additional $44 million to the BIS to combat illicit export of technology and additional set of full- and -part-time positions devoted to export enforcement, AI executive order implementation, and modernization—all directed toward this exact issue. —Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 13 May 2026

In court filings, the government has argued the changes in policy were made to comply with executive orders prioritizing the removal of all removable noncitizens. —Laura Romero, ABC News, 13 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for executive order

• boarder
• border
• corder
• warder
• camcorder
• disorder
• recorder
• reorder
• suborder
• transborder

Legal Definition

executive order

noun

: an order issued by a government's executive on the basis of authority specifically granted to the executive branch (as by the U.S. Constitution or a congressional act)

the National Security Agency was created by an executive order

compare proclamation, statute

Note: An executive order from the president does not have the force of law until it is printed in the Federal Register.