# CEO

/ˈsiˌiˈoʊ/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/ceo
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. business leader

noun · CEFR B1

Stands for Chief Executive Officer. The person who has the most power and the highest position in a company.

For teachers: Abbreviation for Chief Executive Officer. The highest-ranking corporate officer responsible for making major decisions and managing overall operations.

- The CEO announced that the company would hire fifty new employees this year.
- After the merger, the CEO faced intense pressure from the board to streamline operations and increase shareholder value within the first fiscal quarter.

### 2. someone very good at something

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal · Humorous · Slang

A person who is the best at a specific activity or behavior, often used as a joke.

For teachers: A humorous or hyperbolic designation for an individual who exemplifies a specific trait or excels at a particular activity.

- She is the CEO of being late to every single meeting.
- In internet culture, calling someone the 'CEO of sarcasm' suggests they have mastered the art of dry humor to an unmatched degree.

### 3. parking official

noun · CEFR B2 · British English · Technical

Stands for Civil Enforcement Officer. In the UK, this is a person who checks that cars are parked legally.

For teachers: Abbreviation for Civil Enforcement Officer. A person employed by a local authority to enforce traffic and parking regulations.

- The CEO gave me a ticket because I parked on a double yellow line.
- The local council deployed additional CEOs to the high street to manage the congestion caused by the holiday shopping season.

### 4. aircraft engine type

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

Stands for Current Engine Option. A term used in aviation to describe older engine types compared to newer, more efficient ones.

For teachers: Acronym for Current Engine Option. A retronym used in the aviation industry to distinguish older engine models from the 'New Engine Option' (NEO) variants.

- The airline still operates several A320 CEO aircraft on its shorter domestic routes.
- The transition from CEO to NEO technology has allowed carriers to significantly reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions across their narrow-body fleets.

## Examples

- The CEO announced a new plan for the company.
- After twenty years with the firm, she was finally promoted to CEO by the board of directors.
- The outgoing CEO faced intense questioning from shareholders regarding the company's declining market share and the controversial merger with its primary competitor.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.