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.
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 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

Dictionary Entries Near executive order

executive officer

executive order

executive privilege

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Executive order.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/executive%20order. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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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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