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made-to-order
made-to-orderadjectivemade in accordance with an individual's specifications or requirements.
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made to order
made to orderAlso, 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]
made-to-order
Americanadjective
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made in accordance with an individual's specifications or requirements.
a made-to-order suit.
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perfectly suited.
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
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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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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.