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Office & Administration vocabulary · Expenses, Approvals & Procedures

Purchase order

Meaning in office & administration, with examples

nounCommon term

In office & administration, purchase order means: An official document a company sends to a supplier to order goods or services, listing the items, quantities, prices and an order number.

In Turkish: satın alma siparişi, sipariş formu, satın alma talebi

How it is used

Usually shortened to PO. Many companies require an approved PO before anything is bought, and suppliers must quote the PO number on their invoice. Admin staff raise POs for supplies, repairs and services.

Example sentences

  1. I can't order the new chairs until the purchase order is approved.

  2. The supplier's invoice doesn't show our purchase order number, so accounts sent it back.

Common collocations

  • raise a purchase order
  • PO number
  • approve a purchase order
  • purchase order form
  • invoiceA document from a supplier that lists the goods or services provided, their prices, the total amount to be paid and the date it must be paid by.
  • office suppliesEveryday items an office needs to work, such as paper, pens, toner, folders, staples and sometimes kitchen items like coffee and tea.
  • sign offTo give official approval for something, such as an invoice, an expense claim, a budget or a document, often by signing it.
  • petty cashA small amount of cash kept in the office to pay for small everyday costs, such as postage, milk or a taxi, without going through the normal payment process.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Expenses, Approvals & Procedures

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