executive order

noun

: regulation sense 2b

Examples of executive order in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This administration has also been hostile to artificial intelligence, with an overbearing executive order—by some accounts the longest in history—full of stifling regulations that only a handful of the largest companies could survive. —Andrei Iancu, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2024

The sweeping executive order is a cornerstone of the Biden administration's tech policy work. —Maria Curi, Axios, 30 Oct. 2024

Virginia's bid for the Supreme Court's intervention arose from a Justice Department lawsuit filed against the state earlier this month that targeted an executive order from Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2024

Analysts credit the Biden administration’s use of legal pathways, a June 2024 executive order on asylum policy and greater cooperation with Mexico for the significant decline at the border. —Stuart Anderson, Forbes, 25 Oct. 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.