order of the day

American  

noun

1. the agenda for an assembly, meeting, group, or organization.

2. the activity or feature of primary importance.

   Good cheer and celebrations will be the order of the day.

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order of the day British  

noun

1. the general directive of a commander in chief or the specific instructions of a commanding officer

2. informal the prescribed or only thing offered or available

   prunes were the order of the day

3. (in Parliament and similar legislatures) any item of public business ordered to be considered on a specific day

4. an agenda or programme

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Etymology

Origin of order of the day

First recorded in 1690–1700

Example Sentences

BEIJING—Just before 11 a.m. one recent morning, Xu Hui, a 35-year-old delivery driver, hopped on his motorbike to drop off his first order of the day from a milk tea store.

From The Wall Street Journal

He would have been at home in Imperial or Baroque Rome, where thinking big was the order of the day; in his own time—and ours—it has been the exception.

From The Wall Street Journal

Polite nods in both directions were the order of the day.

From BBC

Angular riffs, clever-clever lyrics and big, hooky choruses were the order of the day.

From BBC

This was not a night when interactions or high-fives were the order of the day.

From BBC

Related Words

• agenda
• business
• calendar
• record
• schedule
• slate