appointment
Americannoun
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a fixed mutual agreement for a meeting; engagement.
We made an appointment to meet again.
- Synonyms:
- date, tryst, rendezvous, assignation
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a meeting set for a specific time or place.
I'm late for my appointment.
- Synonyms:
- date, tryst, rendezvous, assignation
-
the act of appointing, designating, or placing in office.
to fill a vacancy by appointment.
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an office, position, or the like, to which a person is appointed.
He received his appointment as ambassador to Italy.
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Usually appointments. equipment, furnishings, or accouterments.
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appointments, accouterments for a soldier or a horse.
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Manège. a horse-show class in which the contestant need not be a member of a hunt but must wear regulation hunt livery.
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Archaic. decree; ordinance.
noun
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an arrangement to meet a person or be at a place at a certain time
-
the act of placing in a job or position
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the person who receives such a job or position
-
the job or position to which such a person is appointed
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(usually plural) a fixture or fitting
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property law nomination to an interest in property under a deed or will
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see make an appointment.
Related Words
Appointment, office, post, station all refer to kinds of duty or employment. Appointment refers to a position to which one is assigned, as by a high government official. Office often suggests a position of trust or authority. Post is usually restricted to a military or other public position, as of a diplomat, although it may also refer to a teaching position. Both post and station may refer to the place where a person is assigned to work.
Other Word Forms
- proappointment adjective
- reappointment noun
Etymology
Origin of appointment
1375–1425; late Middle English apoynt ( e ) ment < Middle French ap ( p ) ointement. See appoint, -ment
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.
The appointment was meant to be his first follow-up to review his medication and talk to a specialist.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
TD Cowen analysts said the appointment of Fink, a Constellation board member who will succeed Bill Newlands as CEO, signaled little change in strategy.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 5, 2026
The prosecution was later thrown out and Halligan’s appointment deemed illegal.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026
And according to what three administration officials told the New York Times, an argument broke out in Hegseth’s office after the appointment of Maj.
From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026
Jack says, “I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Hart for tomorrow at two. We’re checking out of the motel early and taking the ferry back to Seattle around noon.”
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
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.