What does rostered mean?
Rostered is the past tense and past participle of roster, and it is also used as an adjective to describe someone who has been officially listed for duty or assigned to a particular shift. The word is especially common in workplaces, hospitals, schools, the military, and volunteer organizations, where a roster records who is scheduled to work. Saying that someone is rostered on usually means they are included in the official schedule, while rostered off means they are not scheduled for duty. It can also be used transitively: administrators roster staff for weekend coverage or roster additional volunteers during an emergency. The expression carries a sense of formal organization and accountability, distinguishing a person who has been assigned from one who is merely willing to help.
Listed on a roster or officially scheduled for duty.
"The rostered doctor will see patients until noon."
Often used in employment, healthcare, military, and volunteer contexts.
To place someone on a roster or assign them scheduled duty.
"The manager rostered two more drivers for the holiday weekend."
Usually used in British, Australian, and New Zealand English, and also common in American English.
If you are rostered, you have officially made the list: the word marks the difference between being available and being scheduled.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does rostered come from?
The word comes from the English noun roster, meaning a list or register of names, particularly one used to assign duties. Roster was borrowed through French from a term connected with Latin roster, associated with a list or row, and the verb meaning to place names on a list developed from this older sense. The related form rostering refers to the process of preparing or maintaining such a schedule. The suffix -ed in rostered marks a completed act or, in adjectival use, the state of being included in the schedule.
Related word forms
How rostered is actually used
Common in British, Australian, and New Zealand English and increasingly established in American English, especially in workplace, military, healthcare, and public-service contexts. It usually implies official scheduling rather than an informal arrangement.