EXECUTIVE | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary
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English (US)

Meaning of executive in English

executive
noun [ C ]
us
/ɪɡˈzek.jə.t̬ɪv/ uk
/ɪɡˈzek.jə.tɪv/
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C1
(informal exec, us/ɪɡˈzek/ uk/ɪɡˈzek/)
someone in a high position, especially in business, who makes decisions and puts them into action:
senior executive She is now a senior executive, having worked her way up through the company.
the executive
the part of a government that is responsible for making certain that laws and decisions are put into action
a group of people who run a business or an organization:
The executive of the health workers' union accepted the proposed pay increase on behalf of their members.
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executive
adjective [ before noun ]
us
/ɪɡˈzek.jə.t̬ɪv/ uk
/ɪɡˈzek.jə.tɪv/
C1
relating to making decisions and managing businesses, or suitable for people with important jobs in business:
His executive skills will be very useful to the company.
executive cars
an executive suite
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(Definition of executive from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

executive | Intermediate English

executive
noun [ C/U ]
us
/ɪɡˈzek·jə·t̬ɪv/
(infml exec, us/ɪɡˈzek/)
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someone in a high position, esp. in business, who makes decisions and acts according to them:
[ C ] a chief executive
US history
The executive branch of the US government, including the president, the cabinet, and several departments, manages the duties of government and its laws.

executive

adjective us
/ɪɡˈzek·jə·t̬ɪv/
In the US, the president is the head of the executive branch of government.
(Definition of executive from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

executive | Business English

executive
noun [ C ]
uk
/ɪɡˈzekjətɪv/ us
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MANAGEMENT  
( informal exec)
someone who has an important position in business, making decisions and putting them into action:
World Economic Forum is an annual meeting in Switzerland at which political leaders and business executives discuss economic issues.
a high-ranking/senior/top executive
an advertising/marketing/oil executive
company/corporate/industry executives
a financial/sales executive
a group of people who run an organization:
The executive of the health workers' union accepted the proposed pay increase on behalf of their members.
the executive
GOVERNMENT
the part of a government that is responsible for making certain that laws and decisions are put into action, rather than making laws:
Checks and balances are provided by the separation of powers between the judiciary, the executive and the legislature.
Compare
legislature

See also

account executive
chief executive
the Health and Safety Executive
legal executive
national executive
executive
adjective [ before noun ]
uk
/ɪɡˈzekjətɪv/ us
relating to making decisions and managing businesses or government:
executive decision/duty An executive decision was made to move to another site.
The organizational pyramid had executive management at the top and supervisors and employees at the bottom.
having or relating to the power to take action on decisions:
executive authority/leadership/power Reshaping the culture of the corporation around the needs of the entire enterprise requires executive leadership.
The IMF is fully accountable to its membership, through the 24-member executive board.
Compare
non-executive
relating to executives (= important people in a company who make decisions):
an executive appointment/job/position
executive bonuses/pay/salary
They appointed a relocation officer at executive level.
The interview board considered that the candidate was definitely executive material.
suitable for people with important jobs in business:
an executive jet
He had a drink in the airport executive lounge before boarding his flight.
He worked in the executive suite at Northwest Airlines.
expensive and of a high quality:
an executive car/flat/home
(Definition of executive from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of executive

executive
According to former higher-ups, executives are still focused on sales, but with a new type of product.
From International Business Times
The 70-year-old business executive has only intensified his remarks about his 68-year-old rival's physical fitness in recent weeks.
From Washington Post
Find a way to work side by side with your customer-facing teams on account planning, executive briefings, and opportunity planning activities.
From Fast Company
Among the most senior executives at investment banks, fewer than five percent are women.
From Slate Magazine
The audience almost always chooses victors whom record executives would never have.
From Politico
The city's hedge-fund executives are flying south -- and it's not for vacation.
From New York Post
One executive called it the blocking and tackling of the business.
From Dallas Morning News
The executives producing the film had minimal experience running a movie production.
From Huffington Post
You recently met with executives of technology companies behind closed doors.
From TIME
People who took sedative benzodiazepines did worse on executive function tests at three months, but not at 12 months.
From NPR
What does the executive team need to do?
From Business Insider
There used to be executive offices and a private apartment inside.
From Dallas Morning News
It's spawned multiple business-focused books, and is considered required reading for executives.
From Business Insider
He appears to like it that way, being the no-name executive.
From ESPN
Meanwhile, its executives held internal meetings hatching grand plans.
From Ars Technica
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with executive

executive

These are words often used in combination with executive.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

advertising executive
I can imagine an advertising executive being quite daunted at the thought of having to devise a marketing campaign for a community rehabilitation order.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
business executive
Five occupational categories were used: professional and business executive, clerical and sales worker, farmer and farm labourer, skilled worker and unskilled worker.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
corporate executive
Was it the highly paid corporate executive elite or the lads on the shop floor, albeit rather sharp lads with penetrating minds?
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
See all collocations with executive
What is the pronunciation of executive?
 
What is the pronunciation of exec?
 

Translations of executive

in Chinese (Traditional)
（尤指商業機構中的）行政主管，經理, （公司或組織的）執行委員會，領導階層, 決策的，管理的…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
（尤指商业机构中的）行政主管，经理, （公司或组织的）执行委员会，领导层, 决策的，管理的…
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in Spanish
ejecutivo, ejecutiva, directivo…
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in Portuguese
executivo, executiva, executivo/-va [masculine-feminine]…
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in more languages
in Marathi
in Japanese
in Turkish
in French
in Catalan
in Dutch
in Tamil
in Hindi
in Gujarati
in Danish
in Swedish
in Malay
in German
in Norwegian
in Urdu
in Ukrainian
in Russian
in Telugu
in Arabic
in Bengali
in Czech
in Indonesian
in Thai
in Vietnamese
in Polish
in Korean
in Italian
कार्यकारी अधिकारी - उच्च पदावर असलेला, जो निर्णय घेतो आणि कृतीत आणतो, विशेषत: व्यवसायात…
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重役, 重役（じゅうやく）, 幹部（かんぶ）の…
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yönetim, icra, karar vermeye ilişkin/dair…
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cadre [masculine], de cadre, exécutif/-ive…
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executiu, -iva, directiu…
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leidinggevend, uitvoerend, uitvoerende macht…
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உயர் பதவியில் உள்ள ஒருவர், குறிப்பாக வணிகத்தில், முடிவுகளை எடுத்து அவற்றை செயல்படுத்துகிறார்…
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प्रबंधक, ऊँचे पद का अधिकारी, कार्यकारिणी…
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કાર્યપાલક, અમલદાર, કાર્યવાહક…
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ledende, administrerende, udførende…
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administrativ, chefs-, utövande…
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eksekutif, dewan eksekutif, pegawai eksekutif…
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leitend, Exekutiv-…, die Exekutive…
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leder [masculine], sjef [masculine], leder-…
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عاملہ, حکام اعلیٰ, افسراعلیٰ…
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керівний, управлінський, виконавчий…
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исполнительный, высшей категории, дорогой…
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ఉన్నత స్థితిలో ఉన్న ఎవరైనా, ముఖ్యంగా వ్యాపారంలో, వారు నిర్ణయాలు తీసుకుంటారు మరియు వారిని చర్య తీసుకుంటారు…
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تَنْفيذي, مُديرتَنْفيذي…
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এক্সিকিউটিভ, সিদ্ধান্ত নেওয়া এবং ব্যাবসা পরিচালনার সঙ্গে সম্পর্কিত…
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manažerský, výkonný, exekutiva…
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manajemen, pelaksana, eksekutif…
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เกี่ยวกับการบริหาร, เกี่ยวกับการดำเนินงานตามกฎหมาย, ฝ่ายนิติบัญญัติ…
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điều hành, hành pháp, ngành hành pháp…
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wykonawczy, kierowniczy, dyrektorski…
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임원…
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funzionario, -a, dirigente…
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