appointment

American  

[uh-point-muhnt] / əˈpɔɪnt mənt /

noun

1. a fixed mutual agreement for a meeting; engagement.

   We made an appointment to meet again.

   Synonyms:

   date, tryst, rendezvous, assignation

2. a meeting set for a specific time or place.

   I'm late for my appointment.

   Synonyms:

   date, tryst, rendezvous, assignation

3. the act of appointing, designating, or placing in office.

   to fill a vacancy by appointment.

4. an office, position, or the like, to which a person is appointed.

   He received his appointment as ambassador to Italy.

5. Usually appointments. equipment, furnishings, or accouterments.

6. appointments, accouterments for a soldier or a horse.

7. Manège. a horse-show class in which the contestant need not be a member of a hunt but must wear regulation hunt livery.

8. Archaic. decree; ordinance.

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appointment British  

/ əˈpɔɪntmənt /

noun

1. an arrangement to meet a person or be at a place at a certain time

2. the act of placing in a job or position

3. the person who receives such a job or position

4. the job or position to which such a person is appointed

5. (usually plural) a fixture or fitting

6. property law nomination to an interest in property under a deed or will

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appointment Idioms  

1. see make an appointment.

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Related Words

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

• proappointment adjective
• reappointment noun

Etymology

Origin of appointment

1375–1425; late Middle English apoynt ( e ) ment < Middle French ap ( p ) ointement. See appoint, -ment

Example Sentences

Social media could “make or break” the teenager’s emotional state before a therapy appointment, Burke said in court.

From The Wall Street Journal

Earlier this month, MPs approved a motion compelling the government to hand over materials relating to Lord Mandelson's appointment.

From BBC

It has some evident benefits in relieving doctors of the back-office routines that consume hours better spent treating patients, such as filing insurance claims and scheduling appointments.

From Los Angeles Times

The independent review said since the 1990s a "number of changes" had been made with the introduction of safeguarding officers to the Church, development of policies, and increased scrutiny and safeguarding checks in bishops' appointments.

From BBC

It comes after hundreds of people contacted the BBC to express frustration over late deliveries, saying they had missed hospital appointments, and had not received important documents including school certificates and bank statements.

From BBC

Related Words

• approval
• certification
• choice
• designation
• election
• nomination
• selection