executive order

noun

: regulation sense 2b

Examples of executive order in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The broader internment of Japanese-Americans was carried out under executive orders signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and not the Alien Enemies Act since the law does not apply to U.S. citizens. —Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 13 Mar. 2025

Upon his return to office in January, President Donald Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) via executive order, placing Musk in charge. —Martha McHardy, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025

The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court Thursday to overturn lower court orders blocking the president's day-one executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship. —Avery Lotz, Axios, 13 Mar. 2025

President Trump is expected to formally sign an executive order cementing his instructions to wind down the department soon. —Shahar Ziv, Forbes, 13 Mar. 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.