ENGLISH
REFERENCE

schedule

n. · v.
US //ˈskɛdʒuɫ// UK //ʃˈɛdjuːl// sched·ule
  1. 1 time plan (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a plan that shows the times when specific events or tasks are supposed to happen.

    A procedural plan indicating a sequence of operations and the planned times at which those operations are to occur.

    Example

    The bus schedule shows that the next one arrives at ten o'clock.

    Example

    The project manager revised the production schedule to account for the unexpected delay in raw material delivery.

    Usage

    Often used with the prepositions 'on' or 'behind'.

  2. 2 legal appendix (n.)
    C1 Advanced Formal Technical Law

    a list of extra information or details at the end of a legal document or contract.

    A written or printed table of information forming an annex or appendix to a statute, regulatory instrument, or legal contract.

    Example

    You can find the list of approved prices in schedule B of the contract.

    Example

    The specific terms regarding intellectual property rights are detailed in the third schedule of the merger agreement.

Show 1 more senseShow fewer
  1. 3 to classify a drug (v.)
    C1 Advanced Technical American English Medicine

    to officially put a drug or medicine on a list that controls how it is used.

    To classify a drug or chemical as a controlled substance within a legal framework.

    Example

    The government decided to schedule the new painkiller to prevent people from using it wrongly.

    Example

    The drug was recently scheduled as a Class II substance due to its high potential for abuse and severe psychological dependence.

Origin

Inherited from Middle English cedule, from Middle French cedule (whence French cédule), from Old French cedule, from Late Latin schedula (“papyrus strip”), diminutive of Latin scheda, from Ancient Greek σχέδη (skhédē, “papyrus leaf”), from Proto-Hellenic skʰíďďō, from Proto-Indo-European skid-yé-ti, from *skeyd- (“to divide, split”). Doublet of cedula and cedule. This word was historically pronounced /ˈsɛdjuːl/, /ˈsɛdʒuːl/; the pronunciations with /ʃ/ and /sk/ are due to the spelling (the latter may have been reinforced by learned influence); compare schism.

Word family

© 2026 English Reference