schedule
Americannoun
-
schedules
plural
-
a plan of procedure, usually written, for a proposed objective, especially with reference to the sequence of and time allotted for each item or operation necessary to its completion.
The schedule allows three weeks for this stage.
-
a series of things to be done or of events to occur at or during a particular time or period.
He always has a full schedule.
-
a timetable.
-
a written or printed statement of details, often in classified or tabular form, especially one forming an appendix or explanatory addition to another document.
-
Obsolete. a written paper.
noun
-
a plan of procedure for a project, allotting the work to be done and the time for it
-
a list of items
a schedule of fixed prices
-
a list of times, esp of arrivals and departures; timetable
-
a list of tasks to be performed, esp within a set period
-
law a list or inventory, usually supplementary to a contract, will, etc
-
at the expected or planned time
verb
-
to make a schedule of or place in a schedule
-
to plan to occur at a certain time
Synonym Usage
See list 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
schedulernoun
-
subschedulenoun
-
prescheduleverb (used with object)
-
schedularadjective
-
unscheduledadjective
-
well-scheduledadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
schedulesimple
-
schedulessimple
-
have scheduledperfect
-
has scheduledperfect
-
am schedulingprogressive
-
are schedulingprogressive
-
is schedulingprogressive
-
have been schedulingperfect progressive
-
has been schedulingperfect progressive
Past
-
scheduledsimple
-
had scheduledperfect
-
was schedulingprogressive
-
were schedulingprogressive
-
had been schedulingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of schedule
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Late Latin schedula, equivalent to Latin sched(a) “leaf of paper” + -ula noun suffix ( see -ule); replacing Middle English cedule, sedule, from Middle French, from Late Latin, as above
Explanation
A schedule is a plan of things to be done and the time when they will be done. It is the thing you write down in your planner. If you're a student, you probably have your class schedule memorized within the first few weeks of school. This noun derives from Middle English sedule "slip of parchment or paper, note," from Late Latin schedula, from scheda "a strip of papyrus," from Greek schida "a splinter of wood." The modern spelling schedule did not become established until the mid 17th century. And the current American pronunciation, patterned on words such as scheme and school, was not in use until the 19th century.
Vocabulary lists containing schedule
Words Whose Pronunciation Has Changed Over Time
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 3
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Purple Hibiscus
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
For a railway company proud of its record for punctuality, this year's disrupted schedule is posing a major challenge.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Golden Eagles have played good schedule to prepare for Coliseum League.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
The vampire schedule applies not just to drivers but all 3,000 team members, organizers and support crew traveling with them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Neko didn’t find anything to be concerned about, but the analysis noted which moles to watch, and I was encouraged to schedule my next annual scan, since tracking moles becomes more meaningful over time.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
“So, before you dissolved the schedule, what did it say?” she asked.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
But she constantly worried her choices, from sleep schedules to handling toddler tantrums, were "ruining their lives forever".
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Cruise was on board after their initial meeting in 2018, but budgeting and schedules delayed the project.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
And they do not offer schedules and budgets for the work that must be done to prepare dozens of Olympic venues for competition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
As refiners focused on jet-fuel runs in the spring, airlines announced capacity cuts, trimming their schedules to preserve fuel for their more profitable and popular routes.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
At first, my mom and I operate on our own schedules and in the evenings it’s like someone’s come in and divided the house with red tape.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
He called for a “dose of caution” going into the company’s third-quarter earnings, which are scheduled for later this month.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
They scheduled and attended appointments, helped coordinate transportation and childcare, communicated with doctors and nurses, and helped patients make sense of complicated medical information.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
Then, on Dec. 7, the court is scheduled to hear arguments in International Partners for Ethical Care, Inc. v.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
The hearing was scheduled to span 14 panels with dozens of speakers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
The next day there was no bull-fight scheduled.
From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
One was that the scheduling of the 2026 World Cup final on 19 July was the latest date for a summer World Cup since 1966.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
The scheduling adjustments and Xi’s cautious movements during the visit have highlighted emerging physical limitations of the 73-year-old leader.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
He argues the technology could modernize court infrastructure, aiding in case management, scheduling and document processing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
OpenAI is billing its “always-on” AI agents as something more than a tool for making dinner reservations or scheduling appointments.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
So have I. I’m scheduling an appointment for you.
From "The Crossover" by Kwame Alexander
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.
