first order of the day

noun

An item of business that will be discussed before any other item on a particular day when a legislature is sitting.

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Meanings

nounfirst order of the day (plural first orders of the day)

plural first orders of the day

  1. governmentAn item of business that will be discussed before any other item on a particular day when a legislature is sitting.

    ...from the Commons should be the first Order of the day.

    1699, Great Britain. Parliament. House of Lords, The Manuscripts of the House of Lords: Volume 4, page ix
  2. A goal or task that is of primary importance and will or should be pursued before any other goal.

    There are two things every union member should make the first order of the day the pay envelope comes around — supply his family and pay his union dues.

    1921, Bricklayers, Masons, and Plasterers International Union of America, editor, The Bricklayer, mason and plasterer: Volumes 24-25, page 26
Cite this entry
APA

first order of the day. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/first%20order%20of%20the%20day

MLA

“first order of the day.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/first%20order%20of%20the%20day. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “first order of the day,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/first%20order%20of%20the%20day.

Source: first order of the day on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.