mail order

¹ American  

noun

1. an order for goods received or shipped through the mail.

2. the business of selling merchandise through the mail.

---

mail-order ² American  

[meyl-awr-der] / ˈmeɪlˌɔr dər /

adjective

1. pertaining to or obtained by mail order.

   a dozen mail-order rosebushes.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to order (merchandise) by mail.

   to mail-order fruitcakes for Christmas.

mail order British  

noun

1. an order for merchandise sent by post

2. 1. a system of buying and selling merchandise through the post

   2. ( as modifier )

      a mail-order firm

---

Etymology

Origin of mail order¹

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Origin of mail-order²

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

In some cases, there is no coupon, and patients can purchase their medication from the drugmaker’s website “or through a limited set of mail order pharmacies,” according to TrumpRx.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 5, 2026

To determine whether a pharmacy service was mail order, in-person or another type, the analysis used the classification listed in the record of each prescription.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 27, 2025

Colonna Brothers of North Bergen, N.J., recalled 1.5-ounce Ground Cinnamon and 2.25-ounce Supreme Tradition Ground Cinnamon distributed nationwide and through mail order.

From Salon • Nov. 12, 2024

The firm said there had been a regular mail order.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2024

Columbia was then — as it is now — one of the largest mail order clubs in the world, and Wunderman had handled the company’s advertising since it was formed in the 1950s.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell