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
-
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
-
has been schedulingperfect progressive
Past
-
scheduledsimple
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had scheduledperfect
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was schedulingprogressive
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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
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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:
School opened on schedule on Tuesday, but students, families and staff had to reset more than 600,000 passwords.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Emissions reductions can be made, for example, by using AI to schedule a washing machine to run when solar electricity is abundant, Singh said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
He spent three hours with a pet groomer, who shampooed a dog while Avi peppered her with questions about her schedule, her training and whether she likes her job.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Investors have been tracking the unlock schedule for SpaceX shareholders who had invested in the company ahead of the IPO.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Their daytime schedule was entirely booked, even though talking with the dead did not come cheap.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
People whose work schedules conflict with the body's natural sleep and wake cycle experience higher rates of obesity and heart disease.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
While most of the protests have been peaceful, students say they are determined to press the government to address the problems of too many absent teachers, dilapidated buildings, overcrowded class schedules and other grievances.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
This is the result mostly of long lunch breaks and complex schedules rather than making up for holidays, which are not especially long compared with other EU countries.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
To shore up its numbers, Little League has rolled out initiatives, including schedules that allow children to play club on the weekends and for their Little League team on weekdays.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
But he had no time to dwell on this; Professor McGonagall was moving along the Gryffindor table, handing out course schedules.
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
Before Friday’s order, a jury trial was scheduled to begin May 10, 2027.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
It’s being challenged in Washington court and has a hearing scheduled for February.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The Roadster was first unveiled alongside Tesla’s new Semi truck in November 2017, with production scheduled for 2020.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
A trial before a High Court judge is scheduled for 8 June next year, and a plea and case management hearing on 29 January.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Wally has bought a ticket to fly on Virgin Galactic's spacecraft, scheduled to launch in December 2013.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
While crude can be moved in large volumes and transferred between tankers at sea, refined products such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel require separate storage, specialized vessels and more complex scheduling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
But a scheduling curveball this year is shaking up the routine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 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
Also, there are time constraints, scheduling issues, materials and resources, and perhaps curricular or administrative support.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
