What does OBE stand for? After a person's name, it means Officer of the Order of the British Empire, an honour given by the British monarch to people who have made a notable contribution in their field or community. You might read "Dr. Ellen Shaw OBE" in a news story about a scientist or a charity founder.
In American offices, especially in government and the military, the same letters often mean overtaken by events: a plan, question or task that no longer matters because something else happened first. Where the letters sit, after a name or after a task, settles the question.
Quick facts
Stands for
Officer of the Order of the British EmpireType
Initialism, said O B EOther meanings
Overtaken by events, out of body experience, outcome based educationOrder founded
1917, by King George VRank
Above MBE, below CBEWritten as
After the name: Jane Doe OBE
What does OBE stand for after a name?
The Order of the British Empire was created in 1917 by King George V to honor service during the First World War, and it later grew to cover achievement in public life, the arts, science, sport, business and charity. It has five ranks:
| Letters | Full title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GBE | Knight or Dame Grand Cross | The highest rank, rarely given |
| KBE or DBE | Knight or Dame Commander | Brings the title Sir or Dame |
| CBE | Commander | A senior honour, no title |
| OBE | Officer | The middle rank, no title |
| MBE | Member | The most widely awarded rank |
An OBE does not make someone a knight. A person with an OBE keeps their usual name and simply adds the letters after it.
How people receive an OBE
Anyone can nominate a person for an honour. Committees review the nominations, and the names appear in two official lists each year: the New Year Honours and the Birthday Honours, timed to the monarch's official birthday. Recipients later attend a ceremony, called an investiture, where they receive a badge.
News line: "The head teacher was made an OBE for services to education." This means she was named an Officer of the Order in an honours list, and she may now write OBE after her name.
The word honour is usually spelled the British way in this context, even in American writing about the award.
OBE meaning overtaken by events
In US government, military and corporate settings, OBE is quick shorthand for something that has gone stale. Maybe a question was answered in a meeting, a deadline passed, or a decision above you changed the plan.
Status report: "Item 4, draft the memo on the old parking policy: OBE." The memo is no longer needed because the policy already changed.
- "Your email from Monday is OBE. The director already signed off."
- "Mark that action item OBE and close it out."
- "The briefing slide on the storm route is OBE now that it turned north."
This usage is informal but very common in offices that also trade letters like BLUF and TDY. Office shorthand of this sort fills our government and military acronyms listing.
Other OBE meanings by field
| Context | What the letters mean | Seen in a line like |
|---|---|---|
| British honours | Officer of the Order of the British Empire | "Sam Patel OBE" |
| Government and military | Overtaken by events | "That tasking is OBE." |
| Psychology and medicine | Out of body experience | A sense of seeing yourself from outside |
| Education | Outcome based education | Teaching planned around set learning goals |
If the letters follow a name, think of the honour. If they follow a task or an email, think of overtaken by events.
How to write and say OBE
Say each letter: "O B E." In British style, the letters follow the name with no comma and no periods: "Laura Kent OBE." American writers sometimes add a comma, which is also understood. Because O begins with a vowel sound, the phrase is "an OBE," as in "she received an OBE."
When someone holds several honours or degrees, honours usually come before degrees. For the bigger picture on how letter sets like this are formed and said, see what is an acronym.
Questions people ask
Is an OBE a knighthood?
No. An OBE is an honour, but it does not bring the title Sir or Dame. Only the two highest ranks of the order, GBE and KBE or DBE, do that.
What does OBE mean in the military?
In US military and government offices, it usually means overtaken by events. It marks a task or question that no longer matters because circumstances changed.
What is the difference between an OBE and an MBE?
Both are ranks of the same order. OBE, Officer, is one step higher than MBE, Member.
Is OBE an acronym?
Only loosely. People pronounce the three letters one after another, which a word expert would class as an initialism, though "the OBE acronym" is a common casual label.
Can Americans get an OBE?
People who are not British citizens can receive honorary awards from the order. These are given separately from the regular honours lists.