order of business

American  

noun

1. a task assigned or to be dealt with.

   Our first order of business is to reduce expenses.

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Etymology

Origin of order of business

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Now that the government shutdown has officially ended, the next order of business will be a backlog of economic data.

From MarketWatch

It was widely suspected that among Kennedy’s first orders of business would be to do away with vaccines.

From Salon

Her first order of business, however, is pitting the scowling Ritter and bland, industrious Wittmers, who had managed a bearable distance so far, against each other.

From Los Angeles Times

Rebuilding individual houses is of course the first order of business.

From Los Angeles Times

When the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan three years ago, one of the group’s first orders of business was to systematically erase women’s rights.

From New York Times

Related Words

• order of the day