# ordered

/ˈɔɹdɝd/ (US) · /ˈɔːdəd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/ordered
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. requested food or goods

verb · CEFR A2

to have asked for food in a restaurant or bought something online.

For teachers: the past tense of 'order', referring to the act of requesting goods or services from a vendor.

- We ordered a large pizza and two salads for the party last night.
- The procurement department ordered the specialized laboratory equipment several months in advance to ensure it arrived before the research project commenced.

### 2. gave a command

verb · CEFR B1

to have told someone they must do something because you have power over them.

For teachers: the past tense of 'order', denoting an authoritative command or instruction that must be followed.

- The officer ordered the soldiers to stop and wait for further instructions.
- The judge ordered the witness to answer the question directly, reminding them of their legal obligation to provide a full testimony.

### 3. arranged in a sequence

verb · CEFR B1

to have put things in a specific list or pattern, like by date or name.

For teachers: the past tense of 'order', referring to the systematic arrangement of items according to a specific criterion.

- She ordered the files by date so they were easier to find.
- The archivist ordered the historical documents chronologically, allowing researchers to trace the evolution of the city's urban planning over several decades.

### 4. tidy and organized

adjective · CEFR B2

neat, well-organized, and not messy.

For teachers: characterised by a state of neatness, discipline, or systematic arrangement.

- He has a very ordered way of working and never loses his notes.
- The professor maintained an exceptionally ordered office, with every volume on the shelves categorized by both subject matter and publication date.

### 5. mathematical sequence

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

describes a set of numbers or items that follow a strict rule or sequence.

For teachers: describing a set or structure equipped with a specific relation that determines the sequence of its elements.

- The computer program works best when the list of names is already ordered.
- In an ordered set, every pair of distinct elements can be compared to determine which one precedes the other according to a defined rule.

## Examples

- I ordered a large pizza for dinner.
- The manager ordered the staff to finish the inventory report before the store opened on Monday morning.
- After reviewing the evidence, the judge ordered the immediate release of the documents to the public, citing the importance of transparency in legal proceedings.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.