Skip to main content
court order

court order

108 3.5
An official instruction from a court telling someone to do or stop doing something
  • noun
  • /kɔrt ˈɔrdər/
  • Formal
translation icon : orden judicial
  • I have a court order here requiring you to vacate these waters.
  • comply with a court order
  • violation of a court order
  • obtain a court order

OK, so the FBI, they need a court order, a warrant to get that information.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Adoption records in Texas were closed; nothing short of a court order could get you access through official channels.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The judge issued a court order requiring the landlord to make necessary repairs to the building.

  • This is said by all men who receive a court order to appear for child support.

  • Yeah, and I need a court order to do so.

  • And we're here by court order.

  • Your court order says 12 to eight.

  • So she gets a court order for a medical exemption to have an abortion and the court says that she can.

  • According to this court order, please surrender your dog to Ms. Zia.

  • This is a court order approving the demolition of this boat!

  • Hi, I have a court order here to transport one of your patients back to locked wing at Bellevue.

Synonyms

order
vscourt order
3.0

An instruction from someone in power that must be followed

is the specific official instruction issued by a judicial body
decree
vscourt order
  • Formal
80 5.7

An official written order from a court or government that must be followed

is the same binding command but specifically from a judicial process
stay
vscourt order
  • Formal
48 8.0

A court order that stops a legal action for a time

is the general judicial instruction that can be temporary or permanent
gag order
vscourt order
  • Literature
19 7.2

A court rule that stops people from talking about a case to the public

is the general judicial instruction that covers many types of limits
stay of execution
vscourt order
  • Formal
11 8.9

An official order by a court that temporarily stops a punishment, for example a death sentence

is the broader judicial instruction that may not involve delaying enforcement
injunction
vscourt order
  • Formal
6 7.7

A clear order that someone in charge gives, like a teacher or parent

is the broader official judicial directive that covers such commands
bench warrant
vscourt order
  • Formal
4 8.1

An order from a judge that allows police to arrest someone and bring them to court

is the general judicial instruction that can demand many types of compliance
cease and desist order
vscourt order
  • Formal
4 7.9

A court order telling someone to stop a certain action

is the judicial instruction type that can include stopping or ordering acts
temporary injunction
vscourt order
  • Formal
3 9.1

A court order that stops changes and protects things until the case ends

is the general judicial directive without emphasis on temporary effect
detainer
vscourt order
  • Formal
2 9.3

A legal order to keep someone in jail or custody and stop their release

is the broader judicial instruction that is not limited to detention
permanent injunction
vscourt order
  • Formal
2 8.3

A court order that stops a person or company from doing something forever

is the general judicial directive that may be temporary or permanent
writ of mandamus
vscourt order
  • Formal
1 9.9

A court order that tells a government official to do a legal duty after other options fail

is the general judicial instruction that can order many different duties
writ of certiorari
vscourt order
  • Formal
1 9.9

An order from a high court telling a lower court to send case papers for review

is the broader judicial instruction that can order many procedural acts
judicial writ
vscourt order
  • Formal
1 8.2

A document from a court that orders someone to do or stop something

is the same idea focused on directives from a judicial body
final injunction
vscourt order
  • Formal
8.4

A court order at the end of a trial that permanently tells someone to stop or do something

is the general judicial directive that can be temporary or final
mandatory injunction
vscourt order
  • Formal
9.2

A court order that makes someone do a specific action

is the broader judicial instruction that may require or forbid actions
writ of prohibition
vscourt order
  • Formal
9.9

An order from a higher court that stops a lower court from hearing a case outside its power

is the wider judicial directive used for many court actions, not only blocking
vacatur
vscourt order
  • Formal
9.9

An order by a court that cancels an earlier decision

is the general judicial instruction which can order many different outcomes
ad prosequendum
vscourt order
  • Formal
9.9

A court order to bring someone to court to be tried

is the wider judicial instruction not limited to bringing someone for trial

How Binding

writ
  • Formal
33 8.2
injunction
  • Formal
78 8.0
court order
  • Formal
108 3.5
directive
  • Formal
128 6.1
instruction
455 1.2
to request
1.0

Surface Forms

court order singular
court orders plural

Morphology

court + order

The meaning is directly compositional: 'court' (a legal forum) + 'order' (an official directive) yields an official directive issued by a court. This noun-noun combination follows regular English compounding and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Court order comes from the simple image of a judge in a court giving a firm order, like a 'command' written down and meant for everyone to follow. So a court order is an official instruction from the court that tells someone to do something or to stop doing something.