noun | verb
orderorder1 /ˈɔrdɚ/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1
ARRANGEMENT [countable, uncountable] the way that several things, events, etc. are arranged or put on a list, showing whether something is first, second, third etc. SYN sequence: order of The program shows the order of events.in order (=in the correct order) Check that all the names are in order. Help me put these files in the right order. The births were recorded in chronological order. The names of contributing authors are listed in alphabetical order.out of order (=in the wrong order) Some of the pages were out of order.in order of something Characters are listed in order of appearance.2FOR A PURPOSE a)in order (for somebody) to do something for the purpose of doing something: They need to raise $5 million in order to pay for the repairs. In order for you to graduate this year, you’ll need to go to summer school. b)in order that formal so that something can happen: The research is necessary in order that new treatments can be developed.3COMMAND [countable] a) (also orders) a command given by someone in authority: Military people are trained to obey orders. Margaret thinks she can just give everyone orders.order to do something General Marshall gave the order to bomb the city. It’s hard to take orders from someone you don’t respect (=obey them).by order of somebody The families were moved out of their building by order of the mayor. Customs officials have orders to seize all imported tobacco (=have been told to do it).under orders to do something (=commanded to do it) The guards were under orders to shoot to kill. b)an official document that says what a person must or must not do: President Truman issued an executive order banning racial discrimination in the armed services. The building owners had been given a demolition order (=saying that the building must be torn down). c)an official statement from a court of law which says that something must be done SYN court order: The court has issued an order blocking the sale of this drug. The documents were made public Wednesday, by order of the court.4CUSTOMER'S REQUEST [countable] a)a request made by a customer, for example a request for goods to be supplied or for a meal in a restaurant: May I take your order now (=used to ask what a customer in a restaurant wants)? I placed an order for some curtains last week (=made an order). I’m afraid we never received the order. You can cancel the order at any time until it is shipped.on order The bookstore has 50 copies of the book on order (=ordered but not yet received). The carpet we wanted is on back order (=not currently available from the company who you are buying from). There aren’t many stores left that make suits to order (=make them especially for a particular customer). → see also made-to-order b)what a customer has asked for, such as a meal or a type of goods: We’ll call you when your order is ready.order of She returned with my order of fries. → see also side order5WELL-ORGANIZED CONDITION [uncountable] a situation in which everything is well organized and correctly arranged: You have some good ideas here, but you need to give them some order. I have to get my finances in order (=organize them properly).6NO TROUBLE OR CRIME [uncountable] a situation in which rules and laws are obeyed, and authority is respected: Neighborhood leaders are working with police to maintain law and order.keep/maintain order The military was called in to maintain public order in the capital. It took the police an hour to restore order. I would like to call this meeting to order (=have everyone start following the rules of the meeting). Order in the court (=used in court to tell people to be quiet and obey the rules)!► see thesaurus at peace7POLITICAL/ECONOMIC SITUATION [singular] the political, social, or economic situation at a particular time: After the fall of the Soviet Union, many people spoke of a new world order.the existing/established order The rich and powerful families wanted to maintain the existing order.8be out of order a)if a machine or piece of equipment is out of order, it is not working: Oh no, the copy machine’s out of order. b)to be breaking the rules in a court, committee, congress, etc.: Sit down, Mr. Phillips! You’re out of order.9be in order a)if an official document is in order, it is legal and correct: Your work visa seems to be in order. b)formal to be an appropriate thing to do or say on a particular occasion: I think a brief summary of the situation may be in order.10in (good) working/running order if a vehicle or machine is in good working or running order, it is working well11the first/main/next etc. order of business the first, most important, etc. thing that needs to be done or discussed: The main order of business is to select the site for the next convention.12of the highest/the first/a high order of the best kind or of a very good kind: The situation requires diplomatic skills of the highest order.13be the order of the day a)to be a very common or typical feature of a particular time, place, etc.: Smaller families are now the order of the day. b)to be appropriate for a particular occasion or situation: Casual clothes will be the order of the day.14the (natural) order of things the way that life and the world are organized and intended to be: Death is part of the natural order of things.15on the order of something a little more or a little less than a particular amount SYN approximately: The increase in profits is somewhere on the order of $20 million.16ANIMALS/PLANTS [countable] science, biology one of the groups into which scientists divide animals and plants. An order is larger than a family, but smaller than a class.17RELIGIOUS GROUP [countable] a society of monks or nuns (=people who live a holy life according to religious rules): As a young woman she joined the Benedictine Order.18take (holy) orders to become a priest19CLUB/SOCIETY [countable] an organization or society whose members have the same profession, interests, etc.: He belongs to the Fraternal Order of Police.20COMPUTER [countable] computers a list of jobs that a computer has to do in a particular order21OFFICIAL HONOR [countable] a)a group of people who have received a special honor from a king, president, etc. for their services or achievements b)a special piece of metal, silk, etc. that members of the order wear at ceremonies[Origin: 1200–1300 Old French ordre, from Latin ordo arrangement, group] → see also marching orders at march1 (5), money order, pecking order, in short order at short1 (15), standing order at standing1 (2), be a tall order at tall (3)COLLOCATIONS– Meaning 1adjectivesthe right/correct order Of course, the notes must be played in the right order.the wrong order The pages had been put in the wrong order.the same order He always closed the windows in the same order.reverse order They announced the results in reverse order, starting with the last.alphabetical order List the names in alphabetical order.numerical order The dogs are given numbers, and stand in numerical order while the judge looks at them.chronological order (=the order that things happened in time) The photographs were arranged in chronological order.sequential order (=the order that shows how one thing happens after another thing) The children are asked to put the pictures in sequential order.ascending/descending order (=with the lowest or highest number first) The movies are ranked in ascending order of how much money they made.a logical order Put the events of the story into a logical order.random order (=not arranged according to any rule) The chocolate samples were presented to the tasters in random order.no particular order Here are my ten favorite books, in no particular order.verbsput/arrange something in order Decide what points you want to talk about, and put them in order.list/rank something in order The candidates are listed in order of preference.COLLOCATIONS– Meaning 3verbsgive/issue an order Do not fire until I give the order.sign an order (=make it official by signing it) The president signed an order freezing the organization’s assets.obey an order He refused to obey the order.follow orders (also carry out orders) (=obey them) The men insisted that they had only been following orders.take orders from somebody (=be given orders by someone and obey them) I don’t take orders from you!disobey/ignore an order Anyone who disobeys these orders will be severely punished.have orders The soldiers had orders to search the houses for hidden weapons.receive an order The general says he received no order to withdraw.adjectives/nouns + ordera direct order (=a clear order) What happens to a soldier who disobeys a direct order?strict orders They had strict orders not to allow anyone through.a court order (=when a judge in a court says you must do something) Now they’re faced with a court order that could force them to leave.a restraining order (=a court order telling someone to stay away from someone else) She got a restraining order against her ex-husband.an executive order (=an order from a president) President Grant issued an executive order establishing a reservation for the Indians.a gag order (=an order from a court that prevents people from talking publicly about something) The judge issued a gag order to attorneys that prevented them from discussing the case with the press.doctor’s orders (=when the doctor says you must do something) He was under doctor’s orders to take a nap every day. noun | verb
orderorder2 ●●● S1 W2 verb 1[intransitive, transitive] to ask for food, goods, or services to be given to you: order something We ordered a pizza. Saudi Arabia has ordered 15 of the planes.order somebody something Maybe we should order John a drink too.order something for somebody/something They’ve ordered a new carpet for the bedroom.order something from somebody/something I ordered a new computer from a discount electronics site. Are you ready to order (=used to ask if someone is ready to request their food in a restaurant)?► see thesaurus at ask2[transitive] to tell someone to do something, using your authority or power: “Put your hands up!” the officer ordered.order somebody to do something Health officials may order the hospital to close.order something The president ordered an immediate attack.order somebody in/out/back etc. He ordered us off his land.order that The court ordered that the professor be given his job back.3[transitive usually passive] to arrange something in a particular order: Order the names alphabetically.4[transitive] old use to organize things neatly or effectivelyorder somebody around phrasal verb to continuously give someone orders in an annoying or threatening way: Stop ordering me around!order out phrasal verb1 to order food to be delivered to your home or office: Let’s order out tonight.order out for something We ordered out for pizza.2order somebody out to order soldiers or police to go somewhere to stop violent behavior by a crowd: The governor had to order out the National Guard.WORD CHOICE: order, command• Use command when a king, queen, or military leader tells other people who are less important to do something: General Gaines commanded his men to fire.• Use order when someone in any position of authority tells other people to do something: The principal ordered them to leave the school grounds.• You can use order about what a king or military leader says: General Gaines ordered his men to fire. You cannot use command about what an ordinary person in a position of authority says. Don’t say: The principal commanded them to leave the school grounds.