appointment

[ uh-point-muhnt ]

noun

1. a fixed mutual agreement for a meeting; engagement:

   We made an appointment to meet again.

   Synonyms: date, tryst, rendezvous, assignation

2. a meeting set for a specific time or place:

   I'm late for my appointment.

   Synonyms: date, tryst, rendezvous, assignation

3. the act of appointing, designating, or placing in office:

   to fill a vacancy by appointment.

4. an office, position, or the like, to which a person is appointed:

   He received his appointment as ambassador to Italy.

5. Usually appointments. equipment, furnishings, or accouterments.
6. appointments, accouterments for a soldier or a horse.
7. Manège. a horse-show class in which the contestant need not be a member of a hunt but must wear regulation hunt livery. Compare Corinthian ( def 9 ).
8. Archaic. decree; ordinance.

appointment

/ əˈpɔɪntmənt /

noun

1. an arrangement to meet a person or be at a place at a certain time
2. the act of placing in a job or position
3. the person who receives such a job or position
4. the job or position to which such a person is appointed
5. usually plural a fixture or fitting
6. property law nomination to an interest in property under a deed or will

Other Words From

• proap·pointment adjective
• reap·pointment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of appointment¹

1375–1425; late Middle English apoynt ( e ) ment < Middle French ap ( p ) ointement. See appoint, -ment

Idioms and Phrases

see make an appointment .

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Though it isn’t clear whether Trump could have ultimately forced a recess appointment or strong-armed the GOP Senate delegation into clearing Gaetz, it would have, as the nominee pointed out, been an increasingly costly endeavor.

From Salon

Republicans in the Senate, who have access to the same information as any member of the public, have already signaled that nothing they have learned so far is worth blocking an appointment over.

From Salon

"We spoke to a number of people in making the Lions appointment, many of whom had been immersed in the county game and there were some very compelling people going through that process," says Barney.

From BBC

The morning of the Camp fire, he had a doctor’s appointment in Chico and left his home in Paradise before the town was engulfed.

From Los Angeles Times

Following the general election in July, the Labour government made a number of appointments which raised eyebrows.

From BBC

Related Words

• approval
• certification
• choice
• designation
• election
• nomination
• selection