executive order

noun

: regulation sense 2b

Examples of executive order in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Bass laid out two executive orders on Monday, with the first to urgently mobilize community health resources and expand air quality monitoring. — Austin Turner, CBS News, 29 June 2026 Trump signed an executive order on the first day of his second term to limit citizenship to children born to citizens or legal permanent residents, rather than tourists or undocumented immigrants. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 July 2026 Altering that settled understanding requires a constitutional amendment, not an executive order. — Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 The White House declined to comment on the update to Trump’s executive order reported on the USWDS GitHub. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for executive order

Word History

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of executive order was in 1862

Rhymes for executive order

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Browse Nearby Words

executive officer
executive order
executive privilege
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Cite this Entry

“Executive order.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/executive%20order. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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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.

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