mail order

¹

noun

1. an order for goods received or shipped through the mail.
2. the business of selling merchandise through the mail.

mail-order

²

[ meyl-awr-der ]

adjective

1. pertaining to or obtained by mail order:

   a dozen mail-order rosebushes.

verb (used with object)

1. to order (merchandise) by mail:

   to mail-order fruitcakes for Christmas.

mail order

noun

1. an order for merchandise sent by post
2. 1. a system of buying and selling merchandise through the post
   2. ( as modifier )

      a mail-order firm

Word History and Origins

Origin of mail order¹

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Origin of mail order²

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

These tops were sold strictly by mail order within punk magazines.

From Los Angeles Times

The firm said there had been a regular mail order.

From BBC

The Food and Drug Administration’s original 2000 approval of mifepristone is not in question, but the Supreme Court could roll back recent changes that made the drug easier to obtain, including via mail order.

From Seattle Times

The monthly fall was caused mainly by a sharp drop in mail orders and shopping on the internet which fell 4.5% and a drop in the sale of petrol, down 3.0%.

From Reuters

His next idea was to get the instrument sent to Nigeria through mail order, but this too proved challenging.

From BBC