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

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Green Bay’s first order of business should be resigning center Josh Myers, an all-time tough guy who played through a torn pectoral minor the last six weeks. —

Rob Reischel, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025 The Senate’s first order of business is starting the confirmation hearings for Trump’s Cabinet nominees. —

Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 10 Jan. 2025 The first order of business is picking a House speaker. —

Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Jan. 2025 Here's what new parents need to know for the 2025 tax season and beyond: Get a Social Security card for your child The first order of business is to make sure your child has a Social Security number, said John Karls, a tax partner at Armanino, a national tax advisory firm. —

Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025 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 18 Jan. 2025.

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