What does "executive" mean?

1. (business leader) a person who has a high-level job in a company and makes important decisions. 2. (branch of government) the part of a government that is responsible for making sure laws are followed. 3. (relating to management) relating to the job of managing a company or making decisions. 4. (expensive or high-quality) expensive, high-quality, or designed for important people. 5. (computing supervisor) a computer program that controls how other programs run.

executive

n. · adj.

US //ɪɡˈzɛkjətɪv// UK //ɛɡzˈɛkjuːtˌɪv// ex·ec·u·tive

1 business leader (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

a person who has a high-level job in a company and makes important decisions.

a person with senior managerial responsibility in a business organisation, typically possessing the authority to make significant strategic decisions.

Example

The marketing executive decided to launch the new product line in the spring.

Example

The chief executive faced intense questioning from the board regarding the company's declining profit margins in the third quarter.
- employee
- subordinate
2 branch of government (n.)
C1 Advanced Formal Law

the part of a government that is responsible for making sure laws are followed.

the branch of government charged with the execution and enforcement of laws and the administration of public affairs.

Example

The executive and the legislature often disagree on how to spend the budget.

Example

Constitutional scholars debated whether the executive had exceeded its legal authority by issuing the emergency decree without parliamentary approval.
- administration
- government
- legislature
- judiciary

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3 relating to management (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Academic

relating to the job of managing a company or making decisions.

relating to the power to put plans, actions, or laws into effect; specifically concerning high-level management.

Example

She has excellent executive skills and knows how to lead a large team.

Example

The candidate demonstrated strong executive functioning, particularly in her ability to prioritise complex tasks under significant time pressure.
4 expensive or high-quality (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

expensive, high-quality, or designed for important people.

denoting something of high quality, exclusivity, or cost, intended for use by senior professionals.

Example

The company booked an executive suite for the visiting clients.

Example

The airline's executive lounge offers a quiet environment and premium amenities for business travellers during long layovers.
- budget
- standard
5 computing supervisor (n.)
C2 Proficiency Technical Computing

a computer program that controls how other programs run.

a system program or process that coordinates and governs the execution of other processes or threads.

Example

The real-time executive ensures that every task finishes before its deadline.

Example

The embedded system uses a minimal executive to manage task switching without the overhead of a full operating system.

Origin

From Middle French executif, from Latin executivus, from Latin exsequi, from ex- ‘out’ + sequi ‘follow’.

Word family

NounCEO
Nounexecutive