schedule
Americannoun
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schedules
plural
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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.
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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.
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a timetable.
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a written or printed statement of details, often in classified or tabular form, especially one forming an appendix or explanatory addition to another document.
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Obsolete. a written paper.
noun
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a plan of procedure for a project, allotting the work to be done and the time for it
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a list of items
a schedule of fixed prices
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a list of times, esp of arrivals and departures; timetable
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a list of tasks to be performed, esp within a set period
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law a list or inventory, usually supplementary to a contract, will, etc
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at the expected or planned time
verb
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to make a schedule of or place in a schedule
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to plan to occur at a certain time
Synonym Usage
See list 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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schedulernoun
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subschedulenoun
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prescheduleverb (used with object)
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schedularadjective
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unscheduledadjective
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well-scheduledadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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schedulesimple
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schedulessimple
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have scheduledperfect
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has scheduledperfect
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am schedulingprogressive
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are schedulingprogressive
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is schedulingprogressive
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have been schedulingperfect progressive
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has been schedulingperfect progressive
Past
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scheduledsimple
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had scheduledperfect
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was schedulingprogressive
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were schedulingprogressive
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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
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List 3
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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:
The contract was eventually settled and the 1995 season was played on a shortened schedule of 144 games, not the full 162-game slate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
There would be a reduced schedule of 10 events a year, across five continents.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Thursday’s share unlocking marks the second of several such instances that are part of SpaceX’s staggered lockup schedule.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
If that call or meeting is on your schedule, then the system will recognize that you are busy offline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
As manager of the household, Leah kept their earnings and ran their schedule.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Hurst needed surgery after severely tearing his bicep, and the recovery time would push production into 2027, which reportedly conflicted with filming schedules.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
But every other chip in the data center can be pointed at whatever model comes next, which is the assumption underneath the current depreciation schedules the AI buildout is financed on.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Squeezing the most out of premium cards requires a commitment to juggling the increasingly unwieldy series of perks, points and redemption schedules.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Even years later, many cities still haven’t fully returned to the schedules they kept before 2020.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
“Inside these folders, you’ll find your buddies’ schedules, as well as a paragraph with a little bit about the person assigned to you.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
But later that month, a tournament scheduled in New Orleans for late June was postponed, with LIV saying at the time it wanted to avoid peak summer heat in Louisiana.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
A senior US official said there are no further scheduled meetings for now.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
He also has bought a Major League Volleyball expansion franchise that is scheduled to start play in Los Angeles next year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
His trial is scheduled to begin on 26 October.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
He was not scheduled to take office for another year.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
USC coach Lincoln Riley said the Trojans could not compromise on scheduling all future games against Notre Dame early in the season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
The Army hopes to expand the online scheduling and concierge service to more ranges and also allow allies and foreign companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Complaints regarding television and live streaming service adverts for the film were not upheld by the regulator, as Clearcast - which pre-approves TV and streaming ads - had applied a post-19:30 scheduling restriction.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
The clearest evidence came one late-summer afternoon, when several weeks of bad weather produced a scheduling anomaly: two neighborhood farmers markets on the same day.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
Now she did the scheduling and administered shots.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
