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Synonyms

order of business

American  

noun

  1. a task assigned or to be dealt with.

    Our first order of business is to reduce expenses.

Etymology

Origin of order of business

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Recall that after the Rams lost in the NFC championship last January, team president Kevin Demoff’s first order of business was signing Snead and McVay to extensions that had been on the table all season.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026

The first order of business: declaring my intentions.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

Wolves will be preparing for life in the Championship this summer and their only order of business is the future of experienced right-back Matt Doherty, 34.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

"We're halfway there. We've got a lot of golf to go," he said, adding that his next order of business would be getting some rest.

From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026

First order of business, drawing straws to see who has to get in the Chuckie costume.

From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.