1 A2 informal
(North American) To order food from a restaurant for delivery rather than cooking at home.
"We're too tired to cook — let's order out for pizza."
order out
A2 informal intransitive
To order food from a restaurant or delivery service rather than cooking at home; chiefly North American.
In plain English
To call a restaurant and have food brought to you instead of cooking.
What does "order out" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 neutral
To command someone to leave a place or building.
"The manager ordered them out of the building after the argument."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To order (food) from outside (a restaurant out there).
Actually means
To call a restaurant and have food brought to you instead of cooking.
Usage tip
Primarily North American. In the US, 'order out' and 'order in' are often interchangeable, though 'order out' is slightly more common in American English. Some speakers use 'get takeout' instead.
Words that pair with "order out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
pizza Chinese tonight again delivery food
How to conjugate "order out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
order out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
orders out
he/she/it
Past simple
ordered out
yesterday
Past participle
ordered out
have + pp
-ing form
ordering out
continuous
Hear "order out" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "order out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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