Vocabulary · Free lesson
TOEIC vocabulary: backordered or discontinued?
Two products can both be unavailable today for very different reasons. The status word helps you understand what the seller is actually saying.
Professor Scott MendozaThe short answer
An item on back order is waiting to be supplied because stock is unavailable. A discontinued product is no longer produced or offered. Neither label alone gives you a confirmed delivery date.
Waiting for supply is different from ending a product line.
Backordered describes an unfilled order awaiting stock. It does not mean canceled. Discontinued describes a product or service that is no longer made or offered; some sellers may still have remaining units. Read any shipment estimate separately. Expected to ship next week is an estimate about dispatch, not a promise that the package will arrive next week.
Compare the examples
The desk lamps are on back order.
The manufacturer has discontinued Model B.
We expect to ship the lamps next week.
Backordered does not supply an arrival date, and discontinued does not prove that no store has any units left.
Build the meaning step by step
Read the status
on back order
Read the estimate separately
expect to ship next week
Preserve the uncertainty
no confirmed delivery date
Try it now
Interpret the update
Read all answers and explanations
“Your lamps are on back order.” What does this tell you?
The order is waiting for stock.The order remains unfilled because stock is unavailable. Delivery and cancellation are not stated.
Which word fits a product the manufacturer no longer makes?
discontinuedDiscontinued indicates that production has stopped in this context.
“We expect to ship next week.” Which reading is accurate?
Dispatch is expected next week.Expect marks an estimate and ship refers to dispatch, not confirmed arrival.
Put it into practice
Repair an overconfident summary
Supplier message: “The lamps are on back order. We expect to ship them next week, but we cannot confirm a delivery date.” Keep the status and uncertainty.
The lamps are discontinued and will arrive next week.
See a model answer
The lamps are on back order. Shipment is expected next week, but delivery is not confirmed.
A useful summary must not become more certain than its source.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Does out of stock always mean discontinued?
No. It only tells you stock is unavailable. You need more information about whether the product will be offered again.
The blue version is out of stock.
Can a discontinued product still be sold?
A seller may have remaining stock. Discontinued alone does not tell you every seller’s inventory.
This discontinued model is available while remaining stock lasts.
Take it into your day
Keep the order status separate from any estimated shipping or delivery time.
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