Business Definition of "EOD"
The acronym "EOD" stands for "End Of Day." In the corporate setting, EOD is commonly used in emails and chat messages to set deadlines for tasks. It originated from trading, where EOD referred to trades that expire at market close.
What Does “EOD” Mean?
EOD stands for End of Day and is used constantly in workplace communication to assign deadlines. It’s the short-term equivalent of EOW (End of Week), used when you need something done today rather than by Friday.
The term originated in trading, where EOD orders are trades that must be executed before market close. Managers started borrowing the term because it made their deadline-setting sound more official and finance-adjacent.
Usage Example
Can you send me those reports by EOD?
Translation: “I need this today, but I’m too passive to give you an actual time.”
The great EOD debate: 5PM or midnight?
This is the source of endless workplace confusion. When your manager says EOD, they mean 5PM. When you hear EOD, you think “I have until 11:59PM.”
Neither party is technically wrong. EOD literally means end of day, and days end at midnight. But business days end at 5PM (or whenever your office closes), and that’s usually what the person setting the deadline has in mind.
If precision matters, use an actual time. “I need this by 4PM” leaves no room for creative interpretation.
EOD across time zones
Remote work has made EOD even more confusing. If your manager in New York says EOD, do they mean 5PM Eastern or 5PM in your time zone?
Most of the time, EOD refers to the deadline-setter’s time zone. But plenty of people assume it means their own time zone, leading to emails that arrive three hours after the boss went home.
When working across time zones, specify the time zone or just use an actual clock time.
EOD vs EOB vs COB
All three of these acronyms mean roughly the same thing:
- EOD (End of Day): Most common, slightly ambiguous about exact time
- EOB (End of Business): Less common, implies business hours
- COB (Close of Business): Most formal, explicitly means when the office closes
In practice, people use them interchangeably. If someone says they need something by COB, they’re not going to reject it because you sent it at 5:30PM.
Origin of the term “EOD”
EOD came from trading floors, where it referred to orders that expire at market close (4PM Eastern for US stock markets). The term migrated into general business communication in the 1990s as email became standard and people needed shorthand for setting deadlines.
The acronym stuck because it’s efficient. Writing “EOD” is faster than writing “by the end of the day” and sounds more professional than “by 5PM.” Whether it actually communicates more clearly is debatable.
Synonyms and variations of EOD
- End of day
- Close of business (COB)
- End of business (EOB)
- By 5PM
- Today
- By close
Frequently Asked Questions
What does EOD mean in an email?
EOD stands for End Of Day. When someone asks for something by EOD, they typically mean by 5PM or close of business that day. However, the exact time can vary depending on company culture and time zones.
Does EOD mean 5PM or midnight?
When a manager says EOD, they almost always mean 5PM or whenever the workday ends. When an employee hears EOD, they often interpret it as anytime before midnight. This disconnect causes more workplace friction than anyone wants to admit.
What is the difference between EOD and COB?
EOD (End of Day) and COB (Close of Business) are often used interchangeably, though COB more explicitly refers to business hours (typically 5PM or 6PM). EOD is slightly more ambiguous and could technically extend to midnight.
Elton Mayo Management Theories