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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.

She teased her “DWTS” news with an Instagram video in which she wrote out her “Next Chapter 2026” to-do list, which included “prioritizing” herself, “taking risks” and “Dancing With the Stars.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

On Spero’s social media to-do list: a “slop hunter of the week leaderboard.”

From Slate • Apr. 17, 2026

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

That anxiety of having an immeasurable to-do list helped spark the idea of his Oscar-nominated animated short film “Retirement Plan.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 2026

As I had imagined on that beach in Rabat, my senior year was full of activity, activities that I chose for myself instead of following a never-ending to-do list.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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.