Meaning & use
C-suite
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Meanings
nounsingularbusinessinformal
The group of top executives in a company, whose job titles usually begin with the letter C, such as CEO or CFO.
Grammar: Usually used with 'the' and treated as one group: 'The C-suite approved the plan.' It is not normally made plural.
Patterns
- the C-suite
- join the C-suite
- a C-suite executive
The C-suite met on Friday to discuss the merger.
She was promoted to the C-suite after ten years with the company.
Many C-suite executives started their careers in sales.
adjectivebefore a nounbusiness
Relating to the most senior executives of a company.
Grammar: Comes before a noun and is not used after verbs: 'a C-suite role', not 'the role is C-suite'.
Patterns
- C-suite job
- C-suite position
- C-suite level
He is looking for a C-suite position at a smaller firm.
C-suite pay has risen faster than average wages.
The report was written for a C-suite audience.
Common combinations
- C-suite executive
- A C-suite executive usually reports directly to the board.
- join the C-suite
- He joined the C-suite as chief financial officer.
- C-suite level
- Decisions at C-suite level affect the whole company.
- the C-suite's approval
- The project cannot start without the C-suite's approval.
Synonyms and how they differ
- senior management
- More formal and broader; it includes top managers whose titles do not start with C.
- top brass
- Informal and often slightly critical; it can refer to leaders in any organization, not just companies.
- executives
- A general word for senior managers; it does not stress that they are the very highest group.
Word family
- CEO abbreviation
- Chief executive officer, the most senior leader of a company.
- CFO abbreviation
- Chief financial officer, the executive in charge of money matters.
- C-level adjective
- Another way to describe the highest rank of company executives.
Commonly confused: C-suite or suite?
C-suite vs suite
'Suite' means a set of rooms or a matching set of furniture. 'C-suite' comes from the letter C plus 'suite' in the sense of a group of top offices, so the two words sound alike but differ in meaning.
Practice
What does 'the C-suite' refer to in a company?
Choose one answer.
'The C-suite' means the top executives, whose titles such as CEO and CFO begin with C. The other options are wrong because the term is about people at the highest level, not a place, a department, or software.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “C-suite”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.