order of the day
Definition
Noun 1. The prevailing or most important activity, concern, or trend at a particular time. This meaning refers to what is currently dominant, fashionable, or considered a priority in a given context. 2. The formal agenda or schedule of business for a deliberative assembly (like a parliament or committee) on a specific day. This is the original, procedural meaning.
Usage Examples
Noun (Prevailing Trend):
- In the tech industry, innovation is the order of the day.
- With the sudden storm, caution became the order of the day for all hikers.
- At the fashion show, bold colors and patterns were the order of the day.
Noun (Formal Agenda):
- The speaker announced the order of the day before the parliamentary session began.
- According to the order of the day, the budget discussion is scheduled for 3 PM.
Advanced Usage
- The phrase is almost always used with the definite article "the" and in the structure "X is the order of the day," where X is the dominant activity or mood.
- It often carries a sense of necessity or inevitability about the prevailing condition.
Variants and Related Words
- Agenda (n.): A list of items to be discussed at a formal meeting. (Closely related to the procedural meaning).
- Schedule (n.): A plan for carrying out a process or procedure, giving lists of intended events and times.
- Prevailing (adj.): Existing at a particular time; current.
Synonyms
- Norm: The usual or standard state or condition.
- Prevailing trend: The most common or current tendency.
- Priority: Something treated as more important than others.
- Agenda: A list of items of business to be considered.
Related Idioms & Phrases
- Of the day: Used to describe something that is characteristic of or popular at the current time (e.g., , ). This construction is similar in sense to the first meaning of "order of the day."
Noun
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the order of business for an assembly on a given day
