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

Recall that after the Rams lost in the NFC championship last January, team president Kevin Demoff’s first order of business was signing Snead and McVay to extensions that had been on the table all season. —Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026

Start your morning with cold therapy To make your eye area look smoother, the first order of business is tackling morning puffiness. —Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2026

Start with a cooling technique To make your eye area look smoother, the first order of business is reducing morning puffiness. —Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026

Start with cold to reduce puffiness fast To make your eye area look smoother, the first order of business is reducing morning puffiness. —Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026

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

Rhymes for order of business

• agribusiness
• nonbusiness