executable

1 of 2

adjective

ex·​e·​cut·​able ˈek-si-ˌkyü-tə-bəl 

1

: capable of being executed

an executable plan/strategy

specifically, computers : consisting of or containing coded instructions that can be run without using an assembler or compiler

executable code

A compiler needs to run only once, because it creates an executable file.

—Tom Campbell

2

: having execution (see execution sense 2) as a legal penalty : punishable by death

The report says that the scope of executable offenses is growing beyond internationally accepted boundaries.

—Betsy Pisik

executable

2 of 2

noun

plural executables

: a set of computer instructions (such as a program (see program sense 6a)) that has been prepared so that it can be run by a CPU without additional processing

Though it will no longer infect anyone, running a text file as an executable can crash the operating system.

—Oliver Kaven

The [hacker] group relied on users' familiarity with the Windows folder icons and the File Explorer interface to dupe victims into running malicious executables.

—Liam Tung

Examples of executable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Perhaps as fundamental as the birth of the IBM PC, the creation of Linux, or (for the more technically minded) the arrival of compilers that converted low-level software like machine code and assembly language into executable programs. —Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024

Effective change leaders find a way to articulate a vision that resonates and then break it down into actionable, executable steps. —Sherzod Odilov, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024

Noun

The sites were seeded with exploits that redirected visitors to page designed to upload a scareware executable called Amsecure. —IEEE Spectrum, 12 May 2013

Given the requirement that end users must click on an attached executable for the attack to work, this Exim vulnerability isn’t as serious as the one that was exploited starting in 2019. —Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 11 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

execute + -able

Noun

derivative of executable entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1645, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1977, in the meaning defined above