order
noun
uk/ˈɔːdər/ us [ C ] COMMERCE
a request from a customer for goods or services:
Recent trends suggest that orders are unlikely to be converted into sales until the second half.
We make a service and handling charge of $4 for all phone and internet orders of tickets.
Already, the US aeronautics company has accumulated its biggest-ever backlog of orders - valued at $475 million.
online/postal orders
We're encouraged by the rise in order intakes this past quarter.
a reduction in order volumes in the UK
place/put in an order (for sth) Placing orders by computer for medications ensures greater efficiency and a quicker delivery time to patients.
take/get/receive an order (for sth) The Project extended the period for taking orders for its €45 million IPO until Friday.
lose/win/cancel an order (for sth) Due to technical difficulties, the company recently lost an order for $175,000 worth of bakery equipment.
process/fill/make up an order (for sth) The time it takes to fill orders for cars has increased.
Once an order goes through, a message is sent to an inventory system on another computer.
orders are up/down Durable goods orders were up in October by 2.9 %.
orders fall/increase/rise In the past twelve months, we have seen export orders rise by 26%.
[ C ] COMMERCE
the goods that a customer has ordered from a company, store, or manufacturer:
Call centres were flooded with complaints from people who had experienced problems with their orders.
deliver/send/supply an order We will notify you by email once your order has been sent.
receive/get/take delivery of an order The "Super Express" option enables customers to receive orders on the next working day.
handle/trace/monitor an order By going online, our customers can easily trace the status of their order.
In spite of the rail strike, only a handful of orders were delayed.
[ C ] LAW
a statement made by a court of law or an official authority saying that something must be done:
issue/back/block an order The company was forced to stop selling insurance in May after the order which was issued by Florida's Insurance Department.
an order expires/is extended The order was scheduled to expire today but was extended at the request of US prosecutors.
an order to do sth Authorities need an order from the courts to require libraries to provide records on the borrowing of books and on the use of internet sites.
[ S or U ] ACCOUNTING, FINANCE
the way in which data or information is arranged:
in alphabetical/numerical/date order Names of recent clients are listed in alphabetical order.
the order of priority/preference There are laws that control the order of priority for payments to creditors.
[ S or U ] ECONOMICS, GOVERNMENT
a situation in which laws or rules relating to a particular activity exist:
The federal government needs to bring order to the complicated system of trading.
a new world/global/economic order
be in order
to be necessary :
Recent events have shown that a review of existing laws is in order.
to be legally or officially acceptable:
Check that all your documentation is in order before travelling abroad.
build/make sth to order
COMMERCE, PRODUCTION
to make something for a specific customer, rather than making something in large numbers:
All our furniture is made to order.
by order of
LAW
according to the orders of a judge or someone in a position of authority:
After a press scandal concerning the company's CEO, the deal was canceled by order of the state attorney general.
in ascending/descending order
data or information that is arranged in ascending order is arranged so that the smallest or least important numbers, facts, etc. are shown first; data or information that is arranged in descending order is arranged so that the largest or most important numbers, facts, etc. are shown first:
Click once and the list is sorted in ascending order; click again and it's sorted in descending order.
in good/working, etc. order
in good condition, or in good enough condition to be used:
Business owners are being urged to check that their CCTV cameras are in working order.
in the order of sth (US also on the order of sth)
having the approximate value stated:
The German group is capable of financing a deal in the order of €100bn.
The latest estimates of the state's unfunded pension liability are on the order of $10 billion.
keep/put sth in order
to make sure that something is done in a controlled way, or to take action in order to control something :
Huge budget cuts are inevitable in order to put public finances back in order.
on order
COMMERCE
something that is on order has been asked for by a customer but has not yet been received by them:
The shipping company is the largest buyer of the new trucks, with 55 currently on order.
order of business
MEETINGS
the order in which different subjects are discussed at a business meeting:
Has anyone any changes to suggest to the order of business?
Our first order of business is how to tackle the current debt crisis.
Compare
agenda
out of order
not acceptable according to a law or rule, or according to what people think is correct or suitable:
Her comments were ruled out of order by the chairperson.
The Press Complaints Commission acknowledged that newspaper coverage of the event had been completely out of order.
a machine that is out of order is not working correctly:
All our elevators are currently out of order.
documents, files, etc. that are out of order are not arranged in the correct way:
The pages I printed out were all out of order.
under orders to do sth
a person or organization that is under orders to do something has been told officially to do something:
Commercial banks are under orders not to begin selling the new coins to customers until Thursday.
See also
administration order
advance order
back order
banker's order
bank order
bankruptcy order
built-to-order
buying order
buy limit order
buy order
compulsory purchase order
copy order
court order
day order
delivery order
discretionary order
executive order
fill or kill order
gag order
good-till-cancelled order
international money order
job order
judge's order
limit order
made-to-order
make-to-order
mail order
mandatory order
market order
money order
part shipment
pecking order
point of order
postal order
purchase order
receiving order
repeat order
rush order
selling order
sell limit order
sell order
standing order
stop order
order
verb
uk/ˈɔːdər/ us [ I or T ] COMMERCE
to ask a company, store, manufacturer, etc. to supply goods or services:
Our new service enables you to order foreign currency online.
To order your copy, visit our website or call this number.
order sth online/on the internet More and more people are ordering books and DVDs online.
[ T ] WORKPLACE, GOVERNMENT, LAW
to tell someone to do something, especially when you are in a position of legal or official authority:
order sb/sth to do sth State agencies were ordered to cut all nonessential energy use.
Banks have been ordered by the Financial Services Authority to assess how they would cope in the event of house prices crashing by 40 %.
order a trial/investigation/inquiry Local governments have ordered an inquiry into radiation levels in the affected areas.
order that Alaska's attorney-general has ordered that the company retain all documents relating to financial transactions in the current fiscal year.
[ T ]
to organize information or data using a particular method:
He counted and ordered the copies.
order sth alphabetically/numerically/by date Order the documents in the file by date.
Phrasal verbs
order sb around
order sth up