Definition of in order in English:

phrase

• 1According to a particular sequence.

  ‘list the points you intend to cover and put them in order’

  More example sentences

  • ‘But on top of that, you have to put the chronology in order here.’
  • ‘He bet £1 and as the game progressed was dealt - in order - two red aces, a five and two more red aces.’
  • ‘Although the stages of grief are described, they don't progress in order.’
  • ‘As a historian, she can put things in order, illuminate the past and maybe right a few wrongs.’
  • ‘The history portion isn't always in order, which can be a bit confusing.’
  • ‘Each involves a series of specific steps, which must be done correctly and in order.’
  • ‘Every item needed to be kept, in order, between the correct allocated colour coded dividers.’
  • ‘It's all in place, and it's simply a matter of doing things in order.’
  • ‘Keep the cheques in order, and cash them in order, and don't forget to tick each one off your list each night you get back to the hotel.’
  • ‘Aaron scrambled to pick up the papers and put them in order.’

  Synonyms

  in sequence, in alphabetical order, in numerical order, in order of priority, in order of merit, in order of seniority

  View synonyms

• 2In the correct condition for operation or use.

  ‘it is the liquidator's task to put the affairs of the company in order’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Jon liked everything tidy and in order where he could find it, but James Hyde was a messy man.’
  • ‘Sit down this weekend, get your affairs in order, and I promise you can trim hundreds of pounds, in some cases thousands, off your annual costs.’
  • ‘When purchasing land, one must be careful to ensure that the title deeds are in order and that the land has been correctly classified.’
  • ‘The committee are sparing no effort in ensuring that everything is in order for the big day.’
  • ‘Normally, as long as all the documentation is in order you will eventually be approved.’
  • ‘He noted with approval that the room was spotless, and everything was in order.’
  • ‘Once that decision is made, airlines will then have a year to put their houses in order, before the new legal requirements come into force.’
  • ‘We reviewed the data management procedures and found them to be in order.’
  • ‘And it's just very hard if you don't have your legal affairs in order.’
  • ‘Employers are only required to ask if workers' papers are in order.’
  • ‘A two or five-year plan is better than no plan at all and you need to make sure your finances are properly in order before making a move.’

  Synonyms

  tidy, neat, neat and tidy, orderly, straight, trim, shipshape, shipshape and Bristol fashion, in apple-pie order, spick and span

  View synonyms

• 3In accordance with the rules of procedure at a meeting, legislative assembly, etc.

  ‘surely it is in order for Conservative Members to put various policy options to the Prime Minister?’

  More example sentences

  • ‘My recollection is that one supplementary question was ruled as being in order on that particular day.’
  • ‘Just yesterday that word was ruled in order when it was used by a Minister in answering a question in this House.’
  • ‘But the Assembly has now determined that the Bluestone decision is quite in order and will not need further examination.’
  • ‘But ultimately it is the Speaker who must rule upon whether a question is in order.’
  • ‘The Speaker ruled at the time that my comments were in order and that the member should withdraw.’
  • ‘The Minister is responsible for his legislation, and therefore the question was in order.’
  • ‘I listened to Mr Mallard's question, which was not in order, and I did not allow it.’
  • ‘Did that mean that he had authority to cast it, and that the vote was in order?’
  • ‘Last week it was not in order for the Minister even to find out that simple detail.’
  • ‘There were comments made in that point of order that were not in order.’

  Synonyms

  permissible, permitted, allowed, allowable, admissible, acceptable

  View synonyms

  1. 3.1Appropriate in the circumstances.
     ‘a little bit of flattery was now in order’
     More example sentences

     • ‘A little modesty or circumspection would be in order here.’
     • ‘It occurred to me at about 3am, as I lay in bed with a raging fever and hacking cough, that perhaps a visit to a doctor was in order.’
     • ‘Maybe some professional expert opinions are in order here.’
     • ‘To put things in perspective a quick historical comparison is in order.’
     • ‘To understand the goals and significance of Gravity Probe B, a brief dip into the history of physics is in order.’
     • ‘For the reasons behind my mirth, a little history lesson is in order.’
     • ‘Perhaps a quick, yet enlightening, history lesson is in order.’
     • ‘The errors in your article were significant enough that printing a correction, or at least this letter, is in order.’
     • ‘After six years of a strong dollar, a correction might be in order.’
     • ‘A call to the Advertising Standards Authority could be in order.’
     Synonyms

     appropriate, fitting, suitable, right, correct, proper

     View synonyms