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order definition

or·der (ôrdər)

noun

  1. social position; rank in the community
  2. a state of peace and serenity; observance of the law; orderly conduct
  3. the sequence or arrangement of things or events; series; succession
  4. a fixed or definite plan; system; law of arrangement
  5. a group or class of persons set off from others by some trait or quality
    1. a group of persons constituting an association formed for some special purpose the Order of Knights Templars
    2. a community of monks, nuns, etc. following a rule the Benedictine order
    1. a group of persons distinguished by having received a certain award or citation, as for outstanding service to a state the Order of the Garter
    2. the insignia of such a group
  6. a state or condition in which everything is in its right place and functioning properly
  7. condition or state in general not in working order
  8. a command, direction, or instruction, usually backed by authority
  9. a distinctive group; class; kind; sort sentiments of a high order
  10. an established method or system, as of conduct or action in meetings, worship, court, etc.
    1. a request or commission to make or supply something an order for merchandise or services
    2. the goods so made or supplied to deliver a grocery order
    3. ☆ a single portion of some food, as served in a restaurant an order of cole slaw
  11. Archit.
    1. any of several classical styles of structure, determined chiefly by the type of column and entablature
    2. a style of building
  12. Biol. a major category in the classification of animals, plants, etc., ranking above a family and below a class: it can include one family or many similar families: the Latinized order names are capitalized but not italicized (Ex.: Fabales, legumes)
  13. Finance
    1. written instructions to pay money or surrender property
    2. a formal demand for payment, as by the endorsement and presentment of a negotiable instrument by its specified payee
  14. Gram. the arrangement or sequence of elements within a grammatical unit
  15. Law a direction or command of a court, judge, public body, etc.
  16. Math.
    1. a whole number describing the degree or stage of complexity of an algebraic expression
    2. an established sequence of numbers, letters, events, units, etc.
    3. the number of elements in a given group
    4. the number of rows or columns in a determinant or matrix
  17. Theol.
    1. any of the nine ranks or grades of angels
    2. any rank or grade in the Christian clergy
    3. the position of ordained minister, priest, etc.
    4. ordination, as of a minister or priest
    5. holy orders

Etymology: OFr ordre < L ordo (gen. ordinis), straight row, regular series, akin to ordiri, to lay the warp, hence begin, set in order, prob. < IE base *ar-, to join, fit > arm, art

transitive verb

  1. to put or keep in order; organize; arrange
    1. to instruct to do something; give an order to; command
    2. to command (someone) to go to or from a specified place to order him out of the house
  2. to request or direct that (something) be supplied, done, carried out, etc. to order merchandise, to order a hearing
  3. Eccles., Archaic to ordain (a priest, etc.)

intransitive verb

  1. to give a command
  2. to request that something be supplied

Related Forms:

order Idioms

by order of

according to the command of

call to order

to request to be quiet, as to start (a meeting)

in (or out of) order

  1. in (or not in) proper sequence or position
  2. in (or not in) good condition
  3. in (or not in) accordance with the rules, as of parliamentary procedure
  4. ☆ being (or not being) suitable to the occasion

in order that

so that; to the end that

in order to

for the purpose of; as a means to; to

in short order

without delay; quickly

on order

ordered, or requested, but not yet supplied

on the order of

  1. somewhat resembling; similar to
  2. approximately; roughly

order about

to treat in a domineering manner

tall order

Informal a difficult task or requirement

to order

in accordance with the buyer's specifications

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:
order Synonyms

order

n.

  1. A command

    direction, mandate, injunction; see command 1, law 3.

  2. Sequence

    progression, succession, procession; see line 1, sequence 1, series.

  3. Orderly arrangement

    regulation, plan, disposition, management, establishment, method, distribution, placement, scale, rule, computation, adjustment, adaptation, ordering, ranging, standardizing, marshaling, aligning, lining up, trimming, grouping, composition, cast, assortment, disposal, scheme, form, routine, array, procedure, method, index, cosmos, regularity, uniformity, symmetry, harmony, placement, layout, line-up, setup; see also classification 1, system 1.

    Antonyms confusion*, disarray*, displacement. *

  4. Organization

    society, sect, company; see organization 3.

  5. A formal agreement to purchase

    engagement, reserve, application, requisition, request, stipulation, booking, arrangement; see also buying, reservation 1.

  6. The amount purchased in an order, sense 5

    amount, purchase, bulk; see quantity, shipment.

  7. Peace

    calm, quiet, peacefulness; see peace 1, 2.

  8. Kind

    hierarchy, rank, degree; see class 1, classification 1.

  9. Customary method

    ritual, rite, plan; see custom 2, tradition 1.

  10. Social rank

    station, status, position; see rank 3.

by order of

according to, by the authority of, under the command of; see for.

call to order

ask to be quiet, start a meeting, congregate; see assemble 1.

in order
in order that

so that, to the end that, for; see because.

in order to

for the purpose of, as a means to, so that; see to 6.

in short order

rapidly, without delay, soon; see quickly 1.

on order

requested, on the way, sent for; see ordered 1.

on the order of

approximately, roughly, similar to; see like.

tall order*

a difficult task, problem, responsibility; see difficulty 2.


order

v.

  1. To give a command

    direct, command, dictate, decree; see command 1, require 2.

  2. To authorize a purchase

    secure, reserve, request, ask for, requisition; see also buy 1, obtain 1.

  3. To put in order

    arrange, furnish, regulate, establish, dispose, manage, systematize, space, methodize, file, put away, classify, codify, distribute, alphabetize, regularize, normalize, get information, pattern, formalize, settle, fix, locate, dress up, get things into proportion, sort out, index, put to rights, establish guidelines for, adjust, adapt, set in order, assign, place, regiment, trim, range, align, standardize, marshal, plan, group; see also line 4, organize 1.

    Antonyms confuse*, disarrange*, disarray. See syn. study at command.command.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

order Usage Examples

Object

  • copy: To request a free subscription or to order free printed copies, contact Exchange.

Converse of object

  • cancel: The batch of 30 MANs was originally ordered by Citybus, who canceled the order after production started.

Adjective modifier

  • alphabetical: Their names are listed in alphabetical order on the title page.

Modifies a noun

  • confirmation: Any customer who prefers not to receive an online order confirmation may " opt-out " by so indicating this preference on the order form.

Noun used with modifier

  • mail: Mail order catalogs offer a calmer solution to poor posture.

Preposition: of

  • magnitude: This result has been confimed by UCL, it is however possible to increase the conductivity a few orders of magnitude.
order usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

order quotes

Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit.

-Adams, Henry Brooks

La'  , tout n'est qu'ordre et beaute¤  , Luxe, calme et volupte¤  . There where all is order and beauty. Lush, calm and voluptuous.

-Baudelaire, Charles

On se fait une ide¤  e pre¤  cise de l'ordre, mais non pas du de¤ s ordre. La beaute¤  , la vertu, le bonheur, ont des proportions; la laideur, le vice, et le malheur, n'en ont point. We can form a precise idea of order, but not of disorder. Beauty, virtue, happiness, all have their proportions; ugliness, vice and unhappiness have none.

-Bernardin de Saint-Pierre,Jacques-Henri

order quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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  • Your Dictionary. 3 July 2009
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