executive order

noun

, (often initial capital letters)

1. an order having the force of law issued by the president of the U.S. to the army, navy, or other part of the executive branch of the government.

Word History and Origins

Origin of executive order¹

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Example Sentences

He said he has studied President Carter’s use of an executive order shortly after taking office in 1977 to pardon thousands of men who evaded Vietnam War drafts.

From Los Angeles Times

“If someone thinks the executive order is ambiguous on this point,” Fidell went on, “then the president can change the order with the stroke of a pen. And let’s say someone thinks he’s violated the order. Who’s going to enforce it?”

From Slate

The most recently updated executive order on the subject states: “A person is eligible for access to classified information provided that a determination of trustworthiness has been made by agency heads or designated officials.”

From Slate

I asked the professor of military law, Fidell, if any president has ever tried to circumvent the normal process of sending senior officials through a security review or to exploit any of the loopholes that the executive order has offered.

From Slate

In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the first executive order defining the process by which information gets classified or declassified.

From Slate