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Synonyms

to-do list

American  

noun

  1. a list of things that one wants to get done or that need to get done.

    No, I haven’t bought the gift yet, but it’s on my to-do list.

Etymology

Origin of to-do list

First recorded in 1920–25

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.

Next on Bellamy's to-do list is preparation for the Nations League, with Wales beginning their top-flight campaign in September, before Euro 2028 qualifying next year.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

The government’s national resilience campaign, launched by Lai in 2024, is an evolving project with a long to-do list.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

She wore a yellow knit beanie, gold hoop earrings and the relieved grin of a woman who has finally checked a mammogram off her to-do list.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

Top of the new boss’s to-do list will be breathing some life into the beaten-down shares.

From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026

She’s always reading or sending a text, talking to someone, leaving a voice memo, or adding another to-do item to a to-do list on the to-do app she never closes.

From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner

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.