money order

14 2.8

A paper you buy at a bank or post office that pays a named person a set amount

noun
/ˈmʌni ˈɔrdər/

: giro postal

I didn't get a receipt for my money order.
a postal money order
check or money order

So you won't get it on things like cash withdrawals, paying bills can take a gambling transactions, money orders, things like that transactions outside the UK.

Examples

I put a money order in the mail to you.

Fiction book (1997)
If you wanna keep the car out another week, just send us a money order.

Act of Violence (1949)
Can I just give you a money order?

Meet the Blacks (2016)
Or go to the bank and get a money order?

Middle Men (2009)
Send check or money order to:

National Lampoon's TV: The Movie (2006)
I sent you two money orders.

The Thing Called Love (1993)
I sent her a money order.

Algiers (1938)
"Can I send you a money order from the post office?"

Fiction book (1990)
We made payments with postal money orders after that and kept our cash in a jar.

Blog text (13)
If you want to pay your bills, you can use a money order to send the amount securely.

Synonyms

draft

vsmoney order

Specialized

7 5.8

A written order telling a bank to pay money to someone

is issued and paid directly through post offices or authorized institutions

postal order

vsmoney order

Archaic

4 4.8

A paper note bought at a post office that lets a named person collect money

is issued and paid at post offices or other authorized institutions

bank check

vsmoney order

1 2.8

A written note telling a bank to pay a certain amount of money to a person or company

is issued and paid at post offices or other authorized institutions

order of payment

vsmoney order

Formal

4.8

Formal paper that tells a bank to pay a named person or company a set amount of money

is usually issued and paid through post offices or authorized institutions

How Secure

cashier's check

Specialized

12 4.6

certified check

Specialized

3 4.2

money order

14 2.8

personal check

9 2.8

IOU

6 7.0

Surface Forms

money order singular

money orders plural

Morphology

money + order

The phrase is partially compositional: a B1 learner who knows 'money' and 'order' can infer it refers to some kind of order or transaction involving money. However, the specific institutional/technical sense (a prepaid payment instrument issued by a post office or bank) is not fully predictable from the constituents alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Money order comes from the old practice of post offices giving a paper order to pay a fixed amount of money to a named person. So today a money order means a written 'order' to pay a set sum, often bought at a post office or bank.