docket

American  

[dok-it] / ˈdɒk ɪt /

noun

1. Also called trial docket.  a list of cases in court for trial, or the names of the parties who have cases pending.

2. Chiefly British.

   1. an official memorandum or entry of proceedings in a legal cause.

   2. a register of such entries.

   3. any of various certificates or warrants giving the holder right to obtain, buy, or move goods that are controlled by the government, as a custom-house docket certifying duty has been paid.

3. the list of business to be transacted by a board, council, legislative assembly, or the like.

4. British. a writing on a letter or document stating its contents; any statement of particulars attached to a package, envelope, etc.; a label or ticket.

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verb (used with object)

docketed, docketing

1. Law. to enter in the docket of the court.

2. Law. to make an abstract or summary of the heads of, as a document; abstract and enter in a book.

   judgments regularly docketed.

3. to endorse (a letter, document, etc.) with a memorandum.

docket British  

/ ˈdɒkɪt /

noun

1. a piece of paper accompanying or referring to a package or other delivery, stating contents, delivery instructions, etc, sometimes serving as a receipt

2. law

   1. an official summary of the proceedings in a court of justice

   2. a register containing such a summary

3. 1. a customs certificate declaring that duty has been paid

   2. a certificate giving particulars of a shipment and allowing its holder to obtain a delivery order

4. a summary of contents, as in a document

5. a list of things to be done

6. law

   1. a list of cases awaiting trial

   2. the names of the parties to pending litigation

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verb

1. to fix a docket to (a package, etc)

2. law

   1. to make a summary of (a document, judgment, etc)

   2. to abstract and enter in a book or register

3. to endorse (a document, etc) with a summary

Other Word Forms

• redocket verb (used with object)
• undocketed adjective

Etymology

Origin of docket

First recorded in 1475–85; earlier dogget, of obscure origin

Explanation

If someone asks you what’s on your docket for the day, she really just wants to know what you’re doing today. Likewise, if someone complains that he has a full docket, he’s saying that he is very busy. While docket, as used above, is another word for agenda or schedule, it is most commonly used to mean the calendar for a court of law, specifically, the schedule of pending cases. In the United Kingdom, a docket is a list or label affixed to the outside of a package detailing what is inside.

Example Sentences

The immigration case that Sotomayor was discussing was one of a series of controversial rulings the court has issued over the past year on its docket of emergency appeals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

Sotomayor was discussing a September 2025 ruling on the court’s emergency docket involving the factors that federal agents can use as a basis to stop people and question them about their immigration status.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

“This is not random. This is not about efficiency or docket management,” she said in a statement.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2026

With even more parties anticipated to join the lawsuit before the April 19 deadline, EPA has a big fight on its hands and is almost guaranteed to hit the Supreme Court’s docket.

From Salon • Mar. 25, 2026

And, of course, our Alabama docket had never been more jammed or demanding.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson