the arrangement of things or events in a particular, planned sequence so they are easy to find or understand
The librarian kept the books in alphabetical order.
Please line up in numerical order before entering the classroom.
✦ From Latin ‘ordo’ meaning ‘row, series’.
a request to buy food, goods, or services
We placed an order for two large pizzas.
Your online order will arrive in three days.
a state in which everything is neat, controlled, or working as it should
It took an hour to put the garage back in order.
The computer system is now in perfect order after the update.
to ask for food, goods, or services to be made, supplied, or brought
I will order a salad and iced tea.
He ordered a new laptop online last night.
an instruction given by someone in authority telling others what they must do
The captain gave an order to raise the sails.
Parents often issue the same order: "Clean your room!"
a peaceful and lawful situation in which people obey rules and laws
Police were called in to keep order during the protest.
After the storm, the town worked quickly to restore order.
to tell someone officially or firmly to do something
The coach ordered the players to run five more laps.
She orders her staff to arrive early on Mondays.
to share a common boundary with another country, state, or area
Germany borders nine different countries.
My grandparents' farm borders the national forest.
to put a strip or design along the edge of something
She bordered the quilt with dark blue fabric.
The painter bordered the mural with a thin black line.
to be almost or very nearly something, often something extreme or undesirable
His behavior borders on rudeness.
The heat today borders on unbearable.
an illness that affects the mind or body and stops it from working normally
She was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder after months of worry and sleepless nights.
Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that affects how the body uses sugar.
✦ Medical use became common in the 1700s to describe bodily or mental irregularities.
to make something untidy or confused; to disturb the order of something
The earthquake disordered the neatly stacked shelves in seconds.
Loud music can disorder your concentration while you study.
✦ Verb use dates from the late 1500s meaning ‘throw out of order’.
