What does reschedule mean?
Reschedule means to change the time, date, or order of something that has already been planned. It is used for appointments, meetings, flights, games, performances, work, and other organized activities. When an event is moved to a later date, reschedule often has the same broad meaning as postpone or defer; when it is moved to an earlier date, the phrase reschedule for earlier may be used. The word can also imply revising a larger timetable or sequence rather than delaying one isolated event. In institutional and public announcements, it commonly appears in phrases such as reschedule a meeting or reschedule a flight. Reschedule is a fairly straightforward verb formed from schedule, with the prefix re- indicating that an existing arrangement is being changed.
verbTo arrange for something to happen at a different time than originally planned. It can also mean to change the order or timing of a series of events, appointments, or activities.
- To change the time or date at which an event, appointment, or activity is intended to take place.
- To rearrange the order in which activities or events occur.
- To revise a timetable, work schedule, or sequence of planned events.
"The committee rescheduled the meeting for next Tuesday."
"Due to heavy traffic, the airline rescheduled the departure for the following morning."
"The team rescheduled its training sessions so that the final would take place before the tournament."
One small change in timing can transform an entire day: to reschedule is to rewrite the plan, not simply to arrive late.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does reschedule come from?
Reschedule combines the English word schedule with the prefix re-, meaning to do something again. Schedule comes through Old French schedle from Latin schedula, a diminutive of schema, which itself comes from Greek skhēma, meaning form or figure. The same Latin and Greek roots are reflected in schema and related English words such as schematic and scholar.
Related word forms
How reschedule is actually used
Reschedule is especially common in announcements about meetings, travel, work, and organized activities. In British English, postponement is often the more frequent general term, while reschedule remains standard and widely understood.
Easily confused with reschedule
A schedule is the planned arrangement of events or activities, while reschedule is the verb used to change that arrangement.