orders

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of order.

   The factory struggled to fill all the orders before the holidays.

   Soldiers are trained to follow orders without hesitation.

   Note

   One spelling, two jobs: this is the plural noun, and it is also the present-tense verb. Only the countable meanings take a plural: commands, requests for goods, positions in a sequence. The uncountable meaning, the state of being well arranged, has none. So orders never means tidiness. A soldier follows orders, a shop fills orders, but a tidy room is simply in order.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of order.

   The captain orders the crew to abandon the sinking ship.

   Whenever the supply runs low, the manager orders more stock.

   Note

   The -s form follows a singular subject, and what comes after it decides the meaning. A person plus an infinitive makes a command: the captain orders the crew to leave. A thing alone makes a purchase: she orders more stock. With an adverb of arrangement it means sorting: he orders the files by date.

   The editor orders the chapters by date before sending the draft.

   She orders the reporters to stay until the vote is counted.

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