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  • made-to-order
    made-to-order
    adjective
    made in accordance with an individual's specifications or requirements.
  • made to order
    made to order
    Also, built to order. Very suitable, as in Her new assignment was built to order for her. In its literal use, this idiom refers to an item fashioned according to particular instructions. [Mid-1900s]
Synonyms

made-to-order

American  
[meyd-too-awr-der, -tuh-] / ˈmeɪd tuˈɔr dər, -tə- /

adjective

  1. made in accordance with an individual's specifications or requirements.

    a made-to-order suit.

  2. perfectly suited.


made to order Idioms  
  1. Also, built to order. Very suitable, as in Her new assignment was built to order for her. In its literal use, this idiom refers to an item fashioned according to particular instructions. [Mid-1900s]


Etymology

Origin of made-to-order

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.

See Examples For:

“Management noted that frequency essentially doubles with wings in made-to-order occasions,” he wrote on Wednesday.

From Barron's May 14, 2026

Bar hopefuls fill four or five diner-style tables, drinking beer and snacking on menu fare ranging from made-to-order pizza to chicken tinga tacos and farm fresh eggs on a croissant.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 9, 2026

Even the buffet had its moments, especially the made-to-order stir-fry station, which became a personal favorite.

From Salon Jul. 20, 2025

Merryn Wilderspin, an artist and designer from Malton, has created two Whitby Goth Weekend collections of her made-to-order designer bags.

From BBC Oct. 26, 2024

Perhaps Cutie was right—and he was only an inferior being with a made-to-order memory and a life that had outlived its purpose.

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov

The Second Vatican Council, which concluded 60 years ago Dec. 8, was made to order for the lavish photojournalism of Life magazine.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 4, 2025

The DNA barcodes used for each test can be made to order, specifically for the biomarkers that need to be analysed to characterise the disease being tested for.

From Science Daily Sep. 25, 2023

Everything — from the corn tortilla to the guacamole sandwiched between the slices of marinated, grilled steak — is made to order.

From Seattle Times Jan. 11, 2023

Keep in mind that many pieces are made to order and may take two to three weeks, or more, to arrive.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 2, 2022

Phineas had his tamping iron made to order by a neighborhood blacksmith.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

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