I. OM /ˌəʊ ˈem $ ˌoʊ-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
(Order of Merit) a special ↑ honour given to someone by the Queen of England
II. ˌOrder of ˈMerit, the BrE AmE abbreviation , OM
a special honour given to British people who have done something unusually good in military or ↑ civilian life. Only 24 people have the Order of Merit at any one time. ⇨ compare ↑ Companion of Honour