in order

phrase

Definition of in ordernext
as in good
meeting the requirements of a purpose or situation I believe a round of applause is in order.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of in order Both would likely need backing from potential coalition partners in order to win. — Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026 Fontfroide had to receive a special authorization from the Ministry of Culture in order to loan them to the exhibition. — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 26 Oct. 2026 The rallies are for a Georgia audience, the voters Ossoff needs in order to do the immediate job of winning reelection in November. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 26 Oct. 2026 Perhaps a spoiler alert is in order, but the news did travel far and wide last fall. — Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for in order

Browse Nearby Words

inopportuneness
in order
inordinate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“In order.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/in%20order. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All