mail order

noun

: an order for goods that is received and filled by mail
mail-order adjective

Examples of mail order in a Sentence

You can purchase the books by mail order. The store sent out all its mail orders in time for the holiday.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In 2018, the multigenerational Luskey family, which had operated multiple western wear stores and marketed a mail order catalogue, was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, headquartered in Fort Worth. Hollace Ava Weiner, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Feb. 2026 Some mail order programs haven't seen the same shortage. Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 3 Feb. 2026 Sometimes, instead of a new iPad, the thief might swipe a mail order of medicine. Brittney Melton, NPR, 31 Dec. 2025 Burdines opened an international mail order program to Latin America in the late 1940s, allowing military personnel stationed in Cuba to put orders in with Burdines and resulting in a spike of popularity. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 16 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mail order

Word History

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mail order was in 1856

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Cite this Entry

“Mail order.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mail%20order. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

mail order

noun
: an order for goods that is received and filled by mail
mail-order adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on mail order

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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