appointment
Americannoun
-
appointments
plural
-
a fixed mutual agreement for a meeting; engagement.
We made an appointment to meet again.
- Synonyms:
- date, tryst, rendezvous, assignation
-
a meeting set for a specific time or place.
I'm late for my appointment.
- Synonyms:
- date, tryst, rendezvous, assignation
-
the act of appointing, designating, or placing in office.
to fill a vacancy by appointment.
-
an office, position, or the like, to which a person is appointed.
He received his appointment as ambassador to Italy.
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Usually appointments. equipment, furnishings, or accouterments.
-
appointments, accouterments for a soldier or a horse.
-
Manège. a horse-show class in which the contestant need not be a member of a hunt but must wear regulation hunt livery.
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Archaic. decree; ordinance.
noun
-
an arrangement to meet a person or be at a place at a certain time
-
the act of placing in a job or position
-
the person who receives such a job or position
-
the job or position to which such a person is appointed
-
(usually plural) a fixture or fitting
-
property law nomination to an interest in property under a deed or will
Synonym Usage
Appointment, office, post, station all refer to kinds of duty or employment. Appointment refers to a position to which one is assigned, as by a high government official. Office often suggests a position of trust or authority. Post is usually restricted to a military or other public position, as of a diplomat, although it may also refer to a teaching position. Both post and station may refer to the place where a person is assigned to work.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of appointment
1375–1425; late Middle English apoynt ( e ) ment < Middle French ap ( p ) ointement. See appoint, -ment
Explanation
An appointment is a preset arrangement to meet, like a dentist’s appointment, an appointment with your accountant, or an appointment to have your palm read. An appointment is a formal date or plan to meet at the appointed time. Whether you have a doctor’s appointment, a hair appointment, or a 1 o’clock lunch appointment, you need to be there — or you’ll have a broken appointment. It’s easier to remember your appointments if you write them down! With roots in the Old French apointier, meaning to “arrange, settle, or place," appointment can also mean the placing, or appointing of, someone into an unelected position.
Vocabulary lists containing appointment
Sula
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"The Tragedy of Hamlet," Vocabulary from Act 4
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ment
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“When they book their appointment, when they commerce with us on David’s Bridal dot-com, when they go through our surfaces, they’re sharing a lot of information that is unique to them.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Gwent area coroner Rose Farmer heard that, had McDonald been given a previous follow-up appointment as recommended, the melanoma would have been diagnosed six months earlier, with treatment beginning almost immediately.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
He announced other measures including the appointment of a dedicated staff member to support individuals reporting sexual misconduct, and inviting specialized New York State Police detectives to probe future sexual assault allegations.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
But instead of going right to work, Ortiz Jara had an appointment to be finger-printed at the Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Pomona for his visa application.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
"Which I'm sure is fabulous. But you and I have an appointment with Monsieur Bertrand at ten."
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
"This case demonstrates the impact of not having timely follow up appointments," the coroner added.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
For vendors and appointments, it helps couples identify relevant options and coordinate next steps.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
She says she’s now mom’s full-time caregiver: She cooks, manages her medications, drives her to appointments and handles her finances and insurance paperwork.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
Barber recalls driving her husband to medical appointments recently after he had a mini stroke, and how costs piled up as they live in a "medical desert."
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Retired, they spent a lot of time with the Vanderbeekers, and Mama and Papa helped them with grocery shopping and keeping track of their doctors’ appointments and medicines.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
