executive order

noun

: regulation sense 2b

Examples of executive order in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump authorized South Africans to be resettled as refugees in a February executive order that took aim at a law enacted year that authorized the South African government to seize property. —Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 13 May 2025

Yet, shares tumbled around 5% in Monday’s premarket trading after President Donald Trump announced an executive order that would slash drug costs. —Alex Harring, CNBC, 12 May 2025

Their work was published less than two weeks after President Trump signed an executive order to accelerate the exploitation of deep-sea resources, such as through mining. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 May 2025

An executive order closed a tariff loophole that benefited Chinese fast-fashion online retailers, much to the dismay of columnist Robin Abcarian’s niece. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 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.