English Lexicon

Chief Executive

/ˌtʃiːf ɪɡˈzek.jə.tɪv/
nounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #2500 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    The highest-ranking executive in a company or corporation, whose primary responsibilities include making major corporate decisions, managing the overall operations and resources, and acting as the main point of communication between the board of directors and corporate operations.

    "The chief executive announced a bold new strategic plan for global expansion during the annual shareholders' meeting."
  2. 2

    The head of state or the head of government in certain political systems, such as a president or prime minister.

    "The chief executive met with foreign diplomats to sign a historic bilateral trade agreement."

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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from Middle English 'chief' (from Old French 'chef', meaning head or leader, originating from Latin 'caput') combined with 'executive' (from Late Latin 'executivus', from 'exsequi', meaning to follow out or carry out). Established in corporate and political terminology during the 20th century to designate the highest-ranking officer charged with total management authority.

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10 Global Lexicons: How "Chief Executive" is said worldwide

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🇫🇷French → English

directeur général

Transliteration: di.ʁɛk.tœʁ ʒe.ne.ʁal

"Le directeur général a présenté les nouveaux résultats financiers."

🇩🇪German → English

Geschäftsführer

Transliteration: ɡəˈʃɛftsˌfyːʁɐ

"Der Geschäftsführer leitet das Unternehmen seit über zehn Jahren."

🇮🇹Italian → English

amministratore delegato

Transliteration: am.mi.ni.straˈtoː.re de.leˈɡaː.to

"L'amministratore delegato ha firmato il contratto di fusione."

🇪🇸Spanish → English

director ejecutivo

Transliteration: di.ɾekˈtoɾ e.xe.kuˈti.βo

"El director ejecutivo lideró la junta directiva con gran éxito."

🇵🇹Portuguese → English

diretor-executivo

Transliteration: di.ɾeˈtoɾ e.ɡze.kuˈtʃi.vu

"O diretor-executivo definiu as novas metas para o próximo trimestre."

🇮🇳Hindi → English

मुख्य कार्यकारी अधिकारी

Transliteration: mukhya karyakari adhikari

"मुख्य कार्यकारी अधिकारी ने कंपनी की नई नीति की घोषणा की।"

🇨🇳Chinese → English

首席执行官

Transliteration: shǒu xí zhí xíng guān

"这位首席执行官拥有丰富的企业管理经验。"

🇰🇷Korean → English

최고경영자

Transliteration: choe-go-gyeong-yeong-ja

"최고경영자는 회사의 미래 비전을 제시했습니다."

🇯🇵Japanese → English

最高経営責任者

Transliteration: saikou keiei sekininsha

"最高経営責任者が記者会見を開き、経営方針を説明した。"

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