Meaning & use
schedule
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Meanings
nouncountable
A list or plan showing when things will happen or be done.
Grammar: Often used with a possessive or on: a busy schedule, on schedule.
Patterns
- a schedule for something
- on schedule
- behind schedule
The train schedule changes in winter.
My schedule is full this week.
The project is behind schedule.
nouncountablelegalformal
A list of items in a document, such as a list of prices or details attached to a legal agreement.
Grammar: Often in legal or financial documents.
Patterns
- a schedule of something
The contract includes a schedule of fees.
See Schedule 2 for the full list of payments.
The tax schedule lists the rates.
verbtransitive
To arrange for something to happen at a particular time.
Grammar: Takes an object: schedule a meeting.
Patterns
- schedule something for time
- schedule someone to do something
We scheduled the meeting for Monday.
The doctor scheduled an appointment for next week.
She is scheduled to speak at noon.
Word forms
| plural | schedules |
|---|---|
| third person singular | schedules |
| past tense | scheduled |
| past participle | scheduled |
| -ing form | scheduling |
Common combinations
- a tight schedule
- We are working to a tight schedule.
- ahead of schedule
- The bridge opened ahead of schedule.
- schedule a meeting
- Please schedule a meeting with the client.
- a busy schedule
- Despite her busy schedule, she called.
- according to schedule
- Everything went according to schedule.
Synonyms and how they differ
- timetable
- Timetable is the British word for a list of train or class times, and sounds less general.
- agenda
- Agenda lists topics for a meeting, not times.
- itinerary
- Itinerary is the plan of a trip, while schedule can cover any activities.
- book
- Book as a verb means reserving, while schedule means setting a time.
Opposites
Word family
- scheduler noun
- a person or program that arranges times
- scheduling noun
- the act of making a schedule
- rescheduled verb
- changed to another time
- unscheduled adjective
- not planned
Commonly confused: schedule or timetable?
schedule vs timetable
Timetable is common in British English for travel and school; in American English, schedule is used for these too.
Practice
The flight arrived ___ schedule, so we got there on time.
Choose one answer.
On schedule is the fixed expression meaning at the planned time. The other prepositions are not used with this phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “schedule”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.