marching orders

plural noun

1. Military.,  orders to begin a march or other troop movement.

2. Informal.

   1. orders to start out, move on, proceed, etc..

      We're just sitting by the phone, awaiting our marching orders.

   2. notice of dismissal from a position or job; walking papers.

marching orders

plural noun

1. military orders, esp to infantry, giving instructions about a march, its destination, etc

2. informal,  notice of dismissal, esp from employment

3. informal,  the instruction to proceed with a task

Word History and Origins

Origin of marching orders¹

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

Ms. Spanberger’s idea is to leave UVA without clear leadership for months, until she can appoint new board members to give the college new political marching orders.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The announcement may interfere with his marching orders from Friday, when he directed the Justice Department to conduct an investigation into prominent Democrats found in the Epstein files.

Read more on Salon

Did Nexstar and Sinclair take marching orders directly from the White House, or did their leaders just seize an opportunity to curry favor and demonstrate obedience in advance?

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That son, now a 23-year-old man, said he no longer responds unquestioningly to his father’s marching orders.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

And thus Rob Pelinka, their newly minted president of basketball operations with a newly extended contract, has been giving his summer marching orders.

Read more on Los Angeles Times