executive

executive — noun

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

1.名詞B1
釋義

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

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞

文法句型

executive + noun (executive role, executive team)

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞B2
釋義

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

例句

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.

同義詞
  • 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'

反義詞

文法句型

the executive

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞B2
釋義

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

例句

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.

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • general membership

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

文法句型

the executive of [organization]

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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