mail-order

IPA/ˈmeɪl ɔːdə(r)/
IPA/ˈmeɪl ɔːrdər/

mail-order — noun

1. a method of shopping where you pick items from a catalogue or advert and ask for

1.nounB2
Definition

a method of shopping where you pick items from a catalogue or advert and ask for them to be sent by post.

Example

Sari bought school shoes by mail order from a shop in Tainan.

pattern: buy something by mail order

Arjun's grandfather still prefers mail order for vegetable seeds and bulbs.

common context: catalogues for household or garden goods

Common collocations
  • by mail order
  • through mail order
  • mail-order business
  • mail-order catalogue
  • mail-order company
Synonyms
  • catalogue shopping

    stresses choosing from a printed product list rather than the postal step itself

  • shopping by post

    plain paraphrase that keeps the older postal sense of the term

Antonyms
  • in-store shopping

    buying goods by going to a physical shop instead of ordering from home

  • online shopping

    the modern internet-based equivalent; mail order usually suggests catalogues or postal forms

Grammar Patterns

buy something by mail order

sell something through mail order

Usage Note

Usually follows 'by' or 'through': buy something by mail order. It often refers to catalogue-based shopping from before online checkout became normal.

Common Mistakes

I bought it with mail order.
I bought it by mail order.
English normally uses 'by' for this buying method.

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • by mail order
  • through mail order
  • mail-order catalogue

Prepositions

Etymology

English

Formed in English from 'mail' and 'order'. The term became common when shoppers chose goods from printed catalogues, sent in an order, and waited for the items to arrive by post.

First known use

1856

1856, in the meaning defined above