lexicow

schedule

/ˈskedʒuːl//ˈʃedjuːl/·noun
I watch a long ruled line marked off in hours, with little coloured bars dropped into their own time slots along it and a clock ticking above. Then a bright bar of 'now' slides steadily from left to right, and the instant it touches each block, that block lights up and does its thing — right on cue, never early. I get a small satisfaction every time the line reaches one and it goes off exactly when it was told to.
|

Definition

A schedule pins events to time: it lists what will happen and, crucially, when — the 9:15 train, the Tuesday deadline, the order of a day's tasks laid out along the clock. More than a mere list, it gives each item its own slot, so a schedule can run on time or fall behind. As a verb, to schedule is to set that time. The famous US–UK split in pronunciation ('SKED-jool' versus 'SHED-yool') makes it a favourite listening-test word.

Examples

  • The schedule fixes not just the sequence of talks but the exact minute each one begins.
  • Each phase of the build has its own schedule, with deadlines no one is allowed to miss.
  • Heavy snow threw the entire train schedule into chaos.

Collocations

a tight schedule·ahead of schedule·behind schedule·on schedule·a busy schedule

Synonyms

timetable·agenda·itinerary·roster·programme

Antonyms

improvisation·spontaneity

Word family

scheduling (noun)·scheduled (adjective)·rescheduling (noun)

In TOEFL & IELTS

Prized for the pronunciation split — American 'SKED-jool' versus British 'SHED-yool' — so listen for it in the Listening section. The collocations 'ahead of / behind / on schedule' and 'a tight schedule' move straight into Speaking and Writing. It works as both noun and verb ('the talk is scheduled for noon').