executive order

noun

: regulation sense 2b

Examples of executive order in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After the measure failed, Biden, a Democrat, signed an executive order earlier this month to stem the flow of asylum seekers. —Jeff Barker, Baltimore Sun, 19 June 2024

They can be done through an executive order, which bypasses a state legislature. —Meg Anderson, NPR, 19 June 2024

As of 2023, 28 states have enacted restrictions and bans on CRT and related topics through legislative mandate, executive order, or other means. —Tobin Miller Shearer, TIME, 19 June 2024

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Monday to establish a Reparations Task Force to develop a reparations plan for the city. —Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 17 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined above

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.