executive order

noun

: regulation sense 2b

Examples of executive order in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Former President Joe Biden had an executive order in place that protected the rights of trans athletes to compete in women's sports, and the NCAA's previous policy enabled trans athletes. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 16 Aug. 2025

In 2019, Trump, during his first White House term, signed an executive order that added antisemitic acts to the list of Title VI violations. —Michele Chabin, The Washington Examiner, 15 Aug. 2025

In January, after President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending DEI programs in the federal workforce, and in federal contracting and spending, many private corporations were encouraged to do the same. —Charlotte Observer, 15 Aug. 2025

It was later renewed, in part, following President Donald Trump’s January 2017 executive order which called for the hiring of 5,000 additional Border Patrol agents as part of a broader push to strengthen border security and immigration enforcement. —Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 15 Aug. 2025

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.