order of business

noun phrase

: a matter which must be dealt with : task

the budget was the first order of business at the committee meeting

Examples of order of business in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Her first order of business: taking a crowbar to Anirul. —

Keith Phipps, Vulture, 22 Dec. 2024 Some Senate Republicans, including Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), argue that border and immigration changes using budget reconciliation as the vehicle should be Congress’s first order of business in 2025. —

Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 10 Dec. 2024 Former President Donald Trump laid out Thursday what could be his first order of business if re-elected: firing the special counsel who indicted him in two federal cases. —

Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2024 For the House of Representatives, its first order of business is electing the Speaker. —

Brian Bennett, TIME, 2 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for order of business

Word History

Etymology

order of business (predetermined sequence of matters to be dealt with by an assembly)

First Known Use

circa 1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of order of business was circa 1890

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Order of business.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/order%20of%20business. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

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