special order

¹

noun

Military.

1. any one of a set of instructions from a headquarters affecting the activity or status of an individual or group of individuals.

special-order

²

[spesh-uhl-awr-der]

verb (used with object)

1. to obtain by specific individual order.

   to special-order a dining-room chandelier.

verb (used without object)

1. to order goods by a special order.

Word History and Origins

Origin of special order¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

A source close to the government confirmed to BBC Afghan that the internet is back by special order of the Taliban prime minister.

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Sánchez-Gordon said she is open to revisiting “certain language” in Special Order 40, the policy that bars officers from stopping people for the sole purpose of asking them about their citizenship status.

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Special Order 40 is still in effect 46 years later and has never faced a significant internal or external revolt.

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“I thought Special Order 40 was the right thing to do at that time,” he said in a recent interview.

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At a news conference, McDonnell said he believed that Special Order 40 still achieved its original mission of building public trust.

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