agenda
Americannoun
noun
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Also called: agendum. (functioning as singular) a schedule or list of items to be attended to
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Also called: agendas. agendums. (functioning as plural) matters to be attended to, as at a meeting of a committee
Usage
Agenda, “things to be done,” is the plural of the Latin gerund agendum and is used today in the sense “a plan or list of matters to be acted upon.” In that sense it is treated as a singular noun; its plural is usually agendas: The agenda is ready for distribution. The agendas of last year's meetings are printed in the official minutes. The singular agendum, meaning “an item on an agenda,” is rare.
Other Word Forms
- agendaless adjective
Etymology
Origin of agenda
First recorded in 1745–55; from Latin, plural of agendum “that which is to be done,” gerund of agere “to do, drive”; the plural originally carried a collective sense denoting the various items to be transacted
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.
MarketWatch reached out to the White House and asked whether Bondi’s comment about the Dow and retirement accounts that day accurately represented the administration’s economic agenda.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026
A pancake for the table at Kitchen Mouse, garden hopping at the Huntington and “blue couch time” are on the agenda for the comedian.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
China Feihe moved early, announcing in 2025 a childbirth subsidy program backed by a 1.2 billion yuan internal fund, a sign that corporate strategy is already tracking the government’s fertility agenda.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
Trade is expected to be on the agenda when Trump meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, a summit set for May 14-15.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
When we moved to Montclair, the business of enrolling us in the public schools was first on the agenda.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
