docket

American  

[dok-it] / ˈdɒk ɪt /

noun

1. Also called trial docket.  a list of cases in court for trial, or the names of the parties who have cases pending.

2. Chiefly British.

   1. an official memorandum or entry of proceedings in a legal cause.

   2. a register of such entries.

   3. any of various certificates or warrants giving the holder right to obtain, buy, or move goods that are controlled by the government, as a custom-house docket certifying duty has been paid.

3. the list of business to be transacted by a board, council, legislative assembly, or the like.

4. British. a writing on a letter or document stating its contents; any statement of particulars attached to a package, envelope, etc.; a label or ticket.

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verb (used with object)

dockets, present (3rd person singular) docketed, past participle, past docketing present participle

1. Law. to enter in the docket of the court.

2. Law. to make an abstract or summary of the heads of, as a document; abstract and enter in a book.

   judgments regularly docketed.

3. to endorse (a letter, document, etc.) with a memorandum.

docket British  

/ ˈdɒkɪt /

noun

1. a piece of paper accompanying or referring to a package or other delivery, stating contents, delivery instructions, etc, sometimes serving as a receipt

2. law

   1. an official summary of the proceedings in a court of justice

   2. a register containing such a summary

3. 1. a customs certificate declaring that duty has been paid

   2. a certificate giving particulars of a shipment and allowing its holder to obtain a delivery order

4. a summary of contents, as in a document

5. a list of things to be done

6. law

   1. a list of cases awaiting trial

   2. the names of the parties to pending litigation

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verb

1. to fix a docket to (a package, etc)

2. law

   1. to make a summary of (a document, judgment, etc)

   2. to abstract and enter in a book or register

3. to endorse (a document, etc) with a summary

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• undocketed
  adjective
• redocket
  verb (used with object)

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have docketed
  perfect
• has docketed
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have been docketing
  perfect progressive
• is docketing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• dockets
  singular 3rd person
• are docketing
  progressive
• has been docketing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• am docketing
  progressive 1st person singular
• docketing
  participle

Past

• had docketed
  perfect
• were docketing
  progressive plural
• docketed
  simple
• docketed
  participle
• had been docketing
  perfect progressive
• was docketing
  progressive singular

Future

• will docket
  simple
• will have docketed
  perfect
• will have been docketing
  perfect progressive
• will be docketing
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of docket

First recorded in 1475–85; earlier dogget, of obscure origin

Explanation

If someone asks you what’s on your docket for the day, she really just wants to know what you’re doing today. Likewise, if someone complains that he has a full docket, he’s saying that he is very busy. While docket, as used above, is another word for agenda or schedule, it is most commonly used to mean the calendar for a court of law, specifically, the schedule of pending cases. In the United Kingdom, a docket is a list or label affixed to the outside of a package detailing what is inside.

Example Sentences

The brief, unsigned order on the Supreme Court's emergency docket did not provide an explanation, but Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissented, indicating that they would have granted the state's request.

From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026

Top of the docket in New Zealand is GDP for the three months through March, with economists expecting a strong bounce back from tepid quarterly growth of 0.2% at the end of 2025.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

This latest term came to be defined by the merits docket, the shadow docket, and the justices’ public grievances.

From Slate • Jun. 4, 2026

The defense outlook, impact of oil prices, aircraft production rates, aftermarket sales, and capital deployment strategies will all be on the docket, too, added Ackers.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

This lady’s grandson might be facing life imprisonment without parole, but given the overwhelming number of death penalty cases on our docket, I couldn’t rationalize taking on his case.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson