Ask Difference

Order vs. Indent — What's the Difference?

By Maham Liaqat & Urooj Arif — Updated on March 18, 2024
Order involves a request or command, while indent denotes a space at the beginning of a text line.
Order vs. Indent — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Order and Indent

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Key Differences

An order typically refers to a request for goods or services, or a command given in a hierarchical structure. Indent, on the other hand, relates to formatting in written documents, where a space is left at the beginning of a line to signify a new paragraph or section.
In a business context, placing an order signifies a transactional intent to purchase, requiring acceptance by the seller. Conversely, an indent is a stylistic element in text documents, used to improve readability and organize content.
Orders can be found in various domains including commercial, military, and legal fields, indicating a wide range of applications from purchasing to command issuance. Indents are specific to written communication, highlighting structural or organizational aspects of the text.
The execution of an order often involves a series of steps including placement, confirmation, and fulfillment. Indenting text, however, is a simple action performed during the writing or typesetting process, with immediate effect on document layout.
While orders have a direct impact on physical or organizational operations, affecting inventory, command structures, or legal statuses, indents affect the presentation and perception of written content, influencing reader engagement and comprehension.
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Comparison Chart

Definition

A request for goods or services; a command within a hierarchy
A space at the beginning of a text line

Context

Commercial, military, legal
Written communication

Purpose

Transactional intent, command issuance
Improve readability, organize content

Application Domain

Broad: commercial, organizational, legal
Specific to writing and typesetting

Effect

Affects operations and structures
Affects document layout and presentation

Compare with Definitions

Order

A command given in a hierarchical structure.
The general issued an order for the troops to advance.

Indent

A space left at the beginning of a text line.
Each new chapter began with an indent.

Order

Legal or formal instruction.
The court issued an order restraining the defendant from contacting the plaintiff.

Indent

In computer programming, to structure code for better readability.
Proper indenting is crucial for maintaining the code's readability.

Order

An arrangement or sequence.
The library books were sorted in alphabetical order.

Indent

A method to highlight dialogue or quotes in text.
The writer used indents to distinguish the characters' dialogue from the narrative text.

Order

To request something to be made, supplied, or served.
She ordered a custom birthday cake for her daughter.

Indent

Formatting used to organize written content.
The document's indents helped separate the sections clearly.

Order

A request for goods or services.
The company placed an order for new office computers.

Indent

To set the first line of a paragraph in from the margin.
The author used an indent to signify the start of a new paragraph.

Order

The arrangement or disposition of people or things in relation to each other according to a particular sequence, pattern, or method
I filed the cards in alphabetical order

Indent

Start (a line of text) or position (a block of text) further from the margin than the main part of the text
Type a paragraph of text and indent the first line

Order

An authoritative command or instruction
He was not going to take orders from a mere administrator
The skipper gave the order to abandon ship

Indent

Form deep recesses or notches in (a line or surface)
A coastline indented by many fjords

Order

A particular social, political, or economic system
They were dedicated to overthrowing the established order

Indent

Make a requisition or written order for something
We were indenting for paper clips one by one in those days

Order

A society of monks, nuns, or friars living under the same religious, moral, and social regulations and discipline
The Franciscan Order

Indent

Divide (a document drawn up in duplicate) into its two copies with a zigzag line, thus ensuring identification and preventing forgery.

Order

The quality or nature of something
Poetry of the highest order

Indent

Make a dent or impression in (something)
Sometimes voting-hole rectangles are merely indented by the voter's stylus

Order

A principal taxonomic category that ranks below class and above family
The higher orders of insects

Indent

An official order or requisition for goods
Hawthorn refused to approve the indent for silk scarves

Order

Any of the five classical styles of architecture (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan, and Composite) based on the proportions of columns and the style of their decoration.

Indent

A space left by indenting text
Six-character indents

Order

Equipment or uniform for a specified purpose or of a specified type
The platoon changed from drill order into PT kit

Indent

An indentation
Every indent in the coastline

Order

The degree of complexity of an equation, expression, etc., as denoted by an ordinal number.

Indent

An indenture.

Order

Give an authoritative instruction to do something
The judge ordered a retrial
She ordered me to leave
‘Stop frowning,’ he ordered
He ordered that the ship be abandoned

Indent

To set (the first line of a paragraph, for example) in from the margin.

Order

Request (something) to be made, supplied, or served
My mate ordered the tickets last week
I asked the security guard to order me a taxi
Are you ready to order, sir?

Indent

To cut or tear (a document with two or more copies) along an irregular line so that the parts can later be matched for establishing authenticity.

Order

Arrange (something) in a methodical way
Her normally well-ordered life
All entries are ordered by date

Indent

To draw up (a document) in duplicate or triplicate.

Order

A condition of logical or comprehensible arrangement among the separate elements of a group.

Indent

To notch or serrate the edge of; make jagged.

Order

A condition of methodical or prescribed arrangement among component parts such that proper functioning or appearance is achieved
Checked to see that the shipping department was in order.

Indent

To make notches, grooves, or holes in (wood, for example) for the purpose of mortising.

Order

Condition or state in general
The escalator is in good working order.

Indent

To fit or join together by or as if by mortising.

Order

The established system of social organization
"Every revolution exaggerates the evils of the old order" (C. Wright Mills).

Indent

Chiefly British To order (goods) by purchase order or official requisition.

Order

A condition in which freedom from disorder or disruption is maintained through respect for established authority
Finally restored order in the rebellious provinces.

Indent

To make or form an indentation.

Order

A sequence or arrangement of successive things
Changed the order of the files.

Indent

Chiefly British To draw up or order an indent.

Order

The prescribed form or customary procedure, as in a meeting or court of law
The bailiff called the court to order.

Indent

To impress (a design, for example); stamp.

Order

An authoritative indication to be obeyed; a command or direction.

Indent

The act of indenting or the condition of being indented.

Order

A command given by a superior military officer requiring obedience, as in the execution of a task.

Indent

A blank space before the beginning of an indented line
A two-pica indent.

Order

Orders Formal written instructions to report for military duty at a specified time and place.

Indent

An indenture.

Order

A commission or instruction to buy, sell, or supply something.

Indent

A US certificate issued at the close of the American Revolution for interest due on the public debt.

Order

That which is supplied, bought, or sold.

Indent

Chiefly British An official requisition or purchase order for goods.

Order

A request made by a customer at a restaurant for a portion of food.

Indent

An indentation.

Order

The food requested.

Indent

A cut or notch in the margin of anything, or a recess like a notch.

Order

(Law) A directive or command of a court.

Indent

A stamp; an impression.

Order

Any of several grades of the Christian ministry
The order of priesthood.

Indent

A certificate, or intended certificate, issued by the government of the United States at the close of the Revolution, for the principal or interest of the public debt.

Order

Often orders The rank of an ordained Christian minister or priest.

Indent

A requisition or order for supplies, sent to the commissariat of an army.

Order

Often orders The sacrament or rite of ordination.

Indent

(transitive) To notch; to jag; to cut into points like a row of teeth
To indent the edge of paper

Order

Any of the nine grades or choirs of angels.

Indent

(intransitive) To be cut, notched, or dented.

Order

A group of persons living under a religious rule
Order of Saint Benedict.

Indent

To dent; to stamp or to press in; to impress
Indent a smooth surface with a hammer
To indent wax with a stamp

Order

An organization of people united by a common fraternal bond or social aim.

Indent

(historical) To cut the two halves of a document in duplicate, using a jagged or wavy line so that each party could demonstrate that their copy was part of the original whole.

Order

A group of people upon whom a government or sovereign has formally conferred honor for unusual service or merit, entitling them to wear a special insignia
The Order of the Garter.

Indent

To enter into a binding agreement by means of such documents; to formally commit (to doing something); to contract.

Order

The insignia worn by such people.

Indent

To engage (someone), originally by means of indented contracts.
To indent a young man to a shoemaker; to indent a servant

Order

Often orders A social class
The lower orders.

Indent

(typography) To begin (a line or lines) at a greater or lesser distance from the margin. See indentation, and indention. Normal indent pushes in a line or paragraph. "Hanging indent" pulls the line out into the margin.
To indent the first line of a paragraph one em
To indent the second paragraph two ems more than the first

Order

A class defined by the common attributes of its members; a kind.

Indent

To crook or turn; to wind in and out; to zigzag.

Order

Degree of quality or importance; rank
Poetry of a high order.

Indent

To make an order upon; to draw upon, as for military stores.

Order

Any of several styles of classical architecture characterized by the type of column and entablature employed. Of the five generally accepted classical orders, the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders are Greek and the Tuscan and Composite orders are Roman.

Indent

To notch; to jag; to cut into points like a row of teeth; as, to indent the edge of paper.

Order

A style of building
A cathedral of the Gothic order.

Indent

To dent; to stamp or to press in; to impress; as, indent a smooth surface with a hammer; to indent wax with a stamp.

Order

(Biology) A taxonomic category of organisms ranking above a family and below a class.

Indent

To bind out by indenture or contract; to indenture; to apprentice; as, to indent a young man to a shoemaker; to indent a servant.

Order

The sum of the exponents to which the variables in a term are raised; degree.

Indent

To begin (a line or lines) at a greater or less distance from the margin; as, to indent the first line of a paragraph one em; to indent the second paragraph two ems more than the first. See Indentation, and Indention.

Order

An indicated number of successive differentiations to be performed.

Indent

To make an order upon; to draw upon, as for military stores.

Order

The number of elements in a finite group.

Indent

To be cut, notched, or dented.

Order

The number of rows or columns in a determinant or matrix.

Indent

To crook or turn; to wind in and out; to zigzag.

Order

To issue a command or instruction to
Ordered the sailors to stow their gear.

Indent

To contract; to bargain or covenant.
To indent and drive bargains with the Almighty.

Order

To direct to proceed as specified
Ordered the intruders off the property.

Indent

A cut or notch in the margin of anything, or a recess like a notch.

Order

To give a command or instruction for
The judge ordered a recount of the ballots.

Indent

A stamp; an impression.

Order

To request to be supplied with
Order eggs and bacon for breakfast.

Indent

A certificate, or intended certificate, issued by the government of the United States at the close of the Revolution, for the principal or interest of the public debt.

Order

To put into a methodical, systematic arrangement
Ordered the books on the shelf.

Indent

A requisition or order for supplies, sent to the commissariat of an army.

Order

To predestine; ordain.

Indent

An order for goods to be exported or imported

Order

To give an order or orders; request that something be done or supplied.

Indent

The space left between the margin and the start of an indented line

Order

(countable) Arrangement, disposition, or sequence.
Put the children in age order
It's arranged in order of frequency

Indent

Set in from the margin;
Indent the paragraphs of a letter

Order

(countable) A position in an arrangement, disposition, or sequence.

Indent

Cut or tear along an irregular line so that the parts can later be matched for authentication;
Indent the documents

Order

(uncountable) The state of being well arranged.
The house is in order; the machinery is out of order.

Indent

Make a depression into;
The bicycle dented my car

Order

(countable) Conformity with law or decorum; freedom from disturbance; general tranquillity; public quiet.
To preserve order in a community or an assembly
Order in the court!

Indent

Notch the edge of or make jagged

Order

(countable) A command.
Give an order
His inability to follow orders

Indent

Bind by or as if by indentures, as of an apprentice or servant;
An indentured servant

Order

(countable) A request for some product or service; a commission to purchase, sell, or supply goods.
Make an order
Receive an online order for the new range of sunglasses

Order

(countable) A group of religious adherents, especially monks or nuns, set apart within their religion by adherence to a particular rule or set of principles.
St. Ignatius Loyola founded the Jesuit order in 1537.

Order

(countable) An association of knights.
The Order of the Garter, the Order of the Bath.

Order

Any group of people with common interests.

Order

(countable) A decoration, awarded by a government, a dynastic house, or a religious body to an individual, usually for distinguished service to a nation or to humanity.

Order

A category in the classification of organisms, ranking below class and above family; a taxon at that rank.
The magnolia and nutmeg families belong to the order Magnoliales.

Order

A number of things or persons arranged in a fixed or suitable place, or relative position; a rank; a row; a grade; especially, a rank or class in society; a distinct character, kind, or sort.
The higher or lower orders of society
Talent of a high order

Order

(Christianity) An ecclesiastical rank or position, usually for the sake of ministry, when plural holy orders.
There have been many major and minor orders in the history of Christianity: the order of virgins, of deacons, priests, lectors, acolytes, porters, catechists, widows, etc.
To take orders or holy orders means to be ordained a deacon or priest

Order

(architecture) The disposition of a column and its component parts, and of the entablature resting upon it, in classical architecture; hence (since the column and entablature are the characteristic features of classical architecture) a style or manner of architectural design.

Order

(cricket) The sequence in which a side’s batsmen bat; the batting order.

Order

(electronics) A power of polynomial function in an electronic circuit’s block, such as a filter, an amplifier, etc.
A 3-stage cascade of a 2nd-order bandpass Butterworth filter

Order

(chemistry) The overall power of the rate law of a chemical reaction, expressed as a polynomial function of concentrations of reactants and products.

Order

(set theory) The cardinality, or number of elements in a set, group, or other structure regardable as a set.

Order

For given group G and element g ∈ G, the smallest positive natural number n, if it exists, such that (using multiplicative notation), gn = e, where e is the identity element of G; if no such number exists, the element is said to be of infinite order (or sometimes zero order).

Order

(graph theory) The number of vertices in a graph.

Order

(order theory) A partially ordered set.

Order

(order theory) The relation on a partially ordered set that determines that it is, in fact, a partially ordered set.

Order

(algebra) The sum of the exponents on the variables in a monomial, or the highest such among all monomials in a polynomial.
A quadratic polynomial, a x^2 + b x + c, is said to be of order (or degree) 2.

Order

(finance) A written direction to furnish someone with money or property; compare money order, postal order.

Order

(transitive) To set in some sort of order.
We need to order them alphabetically.

Order

(transitive) To arrange, set in proper order.
The books in the shelf need ordering.

Order

(transitive) To issue a command to.
To order troops to advance
He ordered me to leave.
I hate being ordered around by my co-workers.

Order

(transitive) To request some product or service; to secure by placing an order.
You can now order most products to be delivered to your home.
To order groceries
To order food from a restaurant

Order

To admit to holy orders; to ordain; to receive into the ranks of the ministry.

Order

Regular arrangement; any methodical or established succession or harmonious relation; method; system
The side chambers were . . . thirty in order.
Bright-harnessed angels sit in order serviceable.
Good order is the foundation of all good things.

Order

Right arrangement; a normal, correct, or fit condition; as, the house is in order; the machinery is out of order.

Order

The customary mode of procedure; established system, as in the conduct of debates or the transaction of business; usage; custom; fashion.
And, pregnant with his grander thought,Brought the old order into doubt.

Order

Conformity with law or decorum; freedom from disturbance; general tranquillity; public quiet; as, to preserve order in a community or an assembly.

Order

That which prescribes a method of procedure; a rule or regulation made by competent authority; as, the rules and orders of the senate.
The church hath authority to establish that for an order at one time which at another time it may abolish.

Order

A command; a mandate; a precept; a direction.
Upon this new fright, an order was made by both houses for disarming all the papists in England.

Order

Hence: A commission to purchase, sell, or supply goods; a direction, in writing, to pay money, to furnish supplies, to admit to a building, a place of entertainment, or the like; as, orders for blankets are large.
In those days were pit orders - beshrew the uncomfortable manager who abolished them.

Order

A number of things or persons arranged in a fixed or suitable place, or relative position; a rank; a row; a grade; especially, a rank or class in society; a group or division of men in the same social or other position; also, a distinct character, kind, or sort; as, the higher or lower orders of society; talent of a high order.
They are in equal order to their several ends.
Various orders various ensigns bear.
Which, to his order of mind, must have seemed little short of crime.

Order

A body of persons having some common honorary distinction or rule of obligation; esp., a body of religious persons or aggregate of convents living under a common rule; as, the Order of the Bath; the Franciscan order.
Find a barefoot brother out,One of our order, to associate me.
The venerable order of the Knights Templars.

Order

An ecclesiastical grade or rank, as of deacon, priest, or bishop; the office of the Christian ministry; - often used in the plural; as, to take orders, or to take holy orders, that is, to enter some grade of the ministry.

Order

The disposition of a column and its component parts, and of the entablature resting upon it, in classical architecture; hence (as the column and entablature are the characteristic features of classical architecture) a style or manner of architectural designing.

Order

An assemblage of genera having certain important characters in common; as, the Carnivora and Insectivora are orders of Mammalia.

Order

The placing of words and members in a sentence in such a manner as to contribute to force and beauty or clearness of expression.

Order

Rank; degree; thus, the order of a curve or surface is the same as the degree of its equation.
Whiles I take order for mine own affairs.

Order

To put in order; to reduce to a methodical arrangement; to arrange in a series, or with reference to an end. Hence, to regulate; to dispose; to direct; to rule.
To him that ordereth his conversation aright.
Warriors old with ordered spear and shield.

Order

To give an order to; to command; as, to order troops to advance.

Order

To give an order for; to secure by an order; as, to order a carriage; to order groceries.

Order

To admit to holy orders; to ordain; to receive into the ranks of the ministry.
These ordered folk be especially titled to God.
Persons presented to be ordered deacons.

Order

To give orders; to issue commands.

Order

(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed;
The British ships dropped anchor and waited for orders from London

Order

A degree in a continuum of size or quantity;
It was on the order of a mile
An explosion of a low order of magnitude

Order

Established customary state (especially of society);
Order ruled in the streets
Law and order

Order

Logical or comprehensible arrangement of separate elements;
We shall consider these questions in the inverse order of their presentation

Order

A condition of regular or proper arrangement;
He put his desk in order
The machine is now in working order

Order

A legally binding command or decision entered on the court record (as if issued by a court or judge);
A friend in New Mexico said that the order caused no trouble out there

Order

A commercial document used to request someone to supply something in return for payment and providing specifications and quantities;
IBM received an order for a hundred computers

Order

A formal association of people with similar interests;
He joined a golf club
They formed a small lunch society
Men from the fraternal order will staff the soup kitchen today

Order

A body of rules followed by an assembly

Order

(usually plural) the status or rank or office of a Christian clergyman in an ecclesiastical hierarchy;
Theologians still disagree over whether `bishop' should or should not be a separate order

Order

A group of person living under a religious rule;
The order of Saint Benedict

Order

(biology) taxonomic group containing one or more families

Order

A request for food or refreshment (as served in a restaurant or bar etc.);
I gave the waiter my order

Order

(architecture) one of original three styles of Greek architecture distinguished by the type of column and entablature used or a style developed from the original three by the Romans

Order

Putting in order;
There were mistakes in the ordering of items on the list

Order

Give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority;
I said to him to go home
She ordered him to do the shopping
The mother told the child to get dressed

Order

Make a request for something;
Order me some flowers
Order a work stoppage

Order

Issue commands or orders for

Order

Bring into conformity with rules or principles or usage; impose regulations;
We cannot regulate the way people dress
This town likes to regulate

Order

Bring order to or into;
Order these files

Order

Place in a certain order;
Order these files

Order

Appoint to a clerical posts;
He was ordained in the Church

Order

Arrange thoughts, ideas, temporal events, etc.;
Arrange my schedule
Set up one's life
I put these memories with those of bygone times

Order

Assign a rank or rating to;
How would you rank these students?
The restaurant is rated highly in the food guide

Common Curiosities

What is an order?

An order is a request for goods or services, or a command within a hierarchical structure, indicating a broad range of applications.

Is placing an order the same as buying?

Placing an order is a step in the buying process, involving a request for goods or services that needs to be accepted and fulfilled.

What does indent mean in writing?

In writing, an indent signifies a space at the beginning of a text line, used to improve readability and organize content.

How does indenting affect a document?

Indenting improves a document's readability and helps organize content, making it easier for readers to follow the structure.

Can the term "order" apply outside of commercial transactions?

Yes, "order" can also refer to commands in military or organizational contexts, as well as arrangements or sequences.

Can orders be legally binding?

Yes, some orders, especially those issued by courts or formal agreements, can be legally binding.

Why might someone choose not to use indents in a document?

Choosing not to use indents could be a stylistic decision or based on specific formatting guidelines that prefer alternative methods, such as spacing between paragraphs.

Can indents be used in digital documents?

Yes, indents are used in both printed and digital documents to enhance structure and readability.

Do all written documents require indents?

Not all documents require indents; the use of indents depends on the formatting style and purpose of the document.

What role do orders play in organizational structures?

Orders are crucial for defining roles, responsibilities, and the flow of operations within hierarchical organizations.

What differentiates an order from a simple request?

An order often carries an implication of authority or a formal transactional nature, whereas a request may be more casual or optional.

Why is indenting important in programming?

In programming, indenting is important for structuring code, making it more readable and easier to maintain.

How can indents influence reader engagement?

By improving the organization and readability of text, indents can make content more engaging and easier to digest for readers.

How do the purposes of orders and indents reflect their contexts?

Orders reflect their transactional, command, or organizational contexts by indicating intent or directive, while indents reflect their communicative purpose by organizing and presenting written content effectively.

Is an order always a formal request?

While often formal, orders can also be informal, especially in casual or internal business contexts.

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Author Spotlight

Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Urooj Arif
Urooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.

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