executive order

noun

: regulation sense 2b

Examples of executive order in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, the governor is opting for an executive order that would take effect immediately once signed. — ABC News, 14 July 2026

Instead, the governor opted for an executive order that would take effect immediately. — Anthony Izaguirre, Fortune, 14 July 2026

The only way to change this is not by executive order, but by a constitutional amendment. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 11 July 2026

The Democratic state senator is running for governor in Arkansas, where voters have three times backed a president who’s used executive orders to test and ignore the limits of his power. — Andrew Demillo, Washington Post, 10 July 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.