executive

executive — noun

1. a person in a senior position within a company who makes important decisions abo

1.nounB1
Definition

a person in a senior position within a company who makes important decisions about the organization's direction, spending, and staffing.

Example

The company hired a new executive to lead its expansion into Asian markets.

Talia worked as a senior executive at a large tech firm for over fifteen years.

collocation: senior executive

Common collocations
  • company executive
  • senior executive
  • top executive
  • business executive
Synonyms
  • manager

    broader term; can refer to someone at any level, not just senior positions

  • director

    similar level to executive but often implies board-level governance duties

  • administrator

    focuses more on carrying out policies and procedures than on strategic decisions

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

executive + noun (executive role, executive team)

Usage Note

In job titles, 'executive' can appear before the role name (executive director, executive vice-president) or after it (sales executive, account executive) — the latter pattern often indicates mid-to-senior rather than top-level positions.

Common Mistakes

He is a executive at Google.
He is an executive at Google.
'executive' begins with a vowel sound, so it takes 'an' not 'a'.
The executive of the company have resigned.' (meaning one person)
An executive of the company has resigned.
when referring to one person, use 'an executive' with a singular verb, not 'the executive' (which usually refers to the group).

2. the branch of a national or state government that carries out laws passed by the

2.nounB2
Definition

the branch of a national or state government that carries out laws passed by the legislature and manages the daily operation of the country.

Example

The executive is separate from the legislative and judicial branches of government.

contrast: executive vs legislative vs judicial

In many countries, the executive can veto laws passed by the parliament.

Common collocations
  • the executive
  • executive authority
  • executive power
Synonyms
  • the administration

    common alternative in American English, especially when referring to the president and their team

  • the government

    broader term that includes all branches, not just the executive

  • the executive branch

    more explicit and formal version of 'the executive'

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the executive

Usage Note

Frequently used with the definite article ('the executive') to refer to the whole branch. Not countable in this sense — you would not say 'an executive' to mean a government branch.

Common Mistakes

The executive have too much power in this system.
The executive has too much power in this system.
when 'the executive' refers to the government branch as a single entity, use a singular verb.
The company's executive approved the new law.' (confusing business with government)
The government's executive branch approved the new law.
use 'executive branch' or 'the executive' to clearly refer to the government meaning.

3. the senior managers of a business, club, or other organization who together form

3.nounB2
Definition

the senior managers of a business, club, or other organization who together form its leadership body and make top-level decisions.

Example

The executive of the charity voted to increase funding for community programs.

collective noun: the executive of [organization]

A meeting of the executive was called to discuss the financial crisis.

Common collocations
  • the executive of
  • executive committee
Synonyms
  • management team

    broader and more modern; often used in corporate rather than club settings

  • leadership group

    highlights the decision-making role rather than the administrative one

  • board

    different body — a board of directors has governance authority, while an executive runs day-to-day operations

Antonyms
  • general membership

    the regular members of an organization who are not part of the leadership group

Grammar Patterns

the executive of [organization]

Usage Note

Treated as a collective noun — use a singular verb when the group acts as a unit (the executive has decided) and a plural verb when members act individually (the executive have disagreed on the issue). Common in club, charity, and board contexts.

Common Mistakes

The executive of the charity have 15 members.
The executive of the charity has 15 members.
when referring to the group as a single body, use a singular verb.
He is an executive of the club' (when meaning he is one member of the group).
He is on the executive of the club.
membership in the group is typically expressed with 'on the executive', not 'an executive of'.

executive — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

In business contexts, these terms all describe people with authority, but they differ in level and scope. A manager oversees a team or department and can exist at any rank — a shift manager at a restaurant is still a manager. An executive is always high-level, making strategic decisions that affect the whole organization, not just one unit. A director usually serves on a board of directors and has governance duties (voting on major policies) rather than daily operational control. An administrator focuses on carrying out established policies and handling paperwork, not on setting new directions. An officer (e.g. chief executive officer, chief financial officer) holds a formal legal title with specific responsibilities defined by law. For example: 'The store manager asked for more staff, but the executive had to approve the budget.' 'The director voted on the merger, while the administrator processed the paperwork.'

manager ↗director ↗administrator ↗officer ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • executive director
  • executive officer
  • chief executive

Phrases

  • top executive
  • senior executive

Prepositions

  • executive of

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'executivus' meaning 'able to carry out', built from 'ex-' (out) and 'sequi' (to follow). The word entered English through French in the 1400s, first used in legal contexts for someone who carries out a will. By the 1700s it expanded to government, describing the branch that executes laws. The modern business meaning — a senior manager — grew in the 1800s as large companies created formal leadership structures.