Meaning & use
executive
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Meanings
nouncountablebusiness
A senior person in a company who helps make important decisions and manage the organization.
Grammar: Often with a field: a sales executive.
Patterns
- an executive at a company
The executive announced a new plan for the company.
She became a marketing executive after ten years in advertising.
Several executives left the firm after the merger.
nounsingular
The part of a government that carries out laws and runs the country, as opposed to making or judging them.
Grammar: Usually the executive, often alongside the legislature.
Patterns
- the executive branch
The executive proposed the budget to the legislature.
In the United States, the president heads the executive.
Courts sometimes limit the powers of the executive.
adjectivebefore a noun
Having the power to make decisions and carry them out, or relating to senior management.
Grammar: Used before a noun: executive decision.
The chief made an executive decision to close early.
She holds an executive position at the bank.
The hotel offered an executive suite with a desk.
Word forms
| plural | executives |
|---|
Common combinations
- chief executive
- The chief executive spoke to the staff.
- executive director
- The executive director led the charity for years.
- executive branch
- The executive branch enforces the law.
- executive order
- The president signed an executive order.
- senior executive
- A senior executive approved the budget.
- executive summary
- Start your report with an executive summary.
Synonyms and how they differ
- manager
- A manager may run a team or store, while an executive sits near the top and sets direction.
- director
- Director can be a board or department leader, whereas executive is a broader title for senior leaders.
- administrator
- An administrator organizes day to day operations, while an executive makes high-level choices.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: executive or executor?
executive vs executor
An executor carries out the instructions in a will, while an executive manages a business.
Practice
Who is most likely to be described as an executive?
Choose one answer.
Executives are senior decision-makers, which fits a chief financial officer and not entry-level roles.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “executive”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.