executive order

noun

: regulation sense 2b

Examples of executive order in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On the first day of his second term, the president signed an executive order to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement. —Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025

In addition to Braun’s executive order, Attorney General Todd Rokita launched the Eyes on Education portal in 2024 that encourages residents to report divisive ideology in schools. —Amelia Pak-Harvey, IndyStar, 31 Oct. 2025

In those decisions, the judge ruled that the Constitution states power to regulate federal elections rests with states and Congress—not with the president and executive orders. —Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025

Trump signed an executive order to prohibit schools from allowing biological males to play in girls' sports in February, but the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) has persistently defied it. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 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.