booking

booking — noun

1. an agreement made earlier to keep a room, seat, table, trip, or similar service

1.nounB1
Definition

an agreement made earlier to keep a room, seat, table, trip, or similar service for you later, or the act of arranging this.

Example

Noa made a booking for two rooms at the beach hotel.

make a booking for + room

The airline lost our booking, so we waited at the desk.

booking as stored travel record

Common collocations
  • make a booking
  • confirm a booking
  • cancel a booking
  • booking number
  • online booking
  • advance booking
Synonyms
  • reservation

    very close in meaning; often slightly more formal and especially common in American English

  • appointment

    used for a fixed time with a person such as a doctor, not for a room or seat

  • registration

    used for putting your name on a class, event, or system rather than holding a service for later

Antonyms
  • walk-in

    describes arriving without reserving first

Grammar Patterns

make a booking

booking for + time/day

booking with + hotel/airline/restaurant

Usage Note

Often used for travel, hotels, restaurants, and events rather than person-to-person visits. Distinguish from noun/3: sense 1 is for a customer reserving something, while noun/3 is for arranging a performer.

Common Mistakes

I did a booking for tonight.
I made a booking for tonight.
'make' is the usual verb with this noun.
We have booking at seven.
We have a booking at seven.
singular countable uses normally need an article.

2. in football, an official warning given when the referee records a player's name

2.nounB2
Definition

in football, an official warning given when the referee records a player's name after a foul or other rule break.

Example

The defender got a booking after pulling Ravi down near the goal.

get a booking

A second booking sent the captain off before half-time.

second booking + sent off

Common collocations
  • get a booking
  • pick up a booking
  • second booking
  • early booking
  • avoid a booking
Synonyms
  • caution

    more formal match-report word for the same warning

  • yellow card

    names the card shown by the referee, while 'booking' stresses the official warning itself

Grammar Patterns

get a booking

pick up a booking

second booking

Usage Note

Almost always used in British football reporting, often with verbs like 'get', 'pick up', or 'receive'. A second booking in the same match usually leads to the player being sent off.

Common Mistakes

The referee booked him a booking.
The referee gave him a booking.
the noun takes verbs like 'give' or 'issue', not 'book'.
He got booking in the first half.
He got a booking in the first half.
singular countable uses need an article.

3. an arrangement for a singer, band, comedian, or similar act to appear at a place

3.nounC1
Definition

an arrangement for a singer, band, comedian, or similar act to appear at a place on a set date, or that job itself.

Example

The jazz club confirmed Zara's booking for a Friday night show.

booking for + show

After one radio hit, the band received bookings across southern Taiwan.

receive bookings

Common collocations
  • confirm a booking
  • receive bookings
  • club booking
  • tour booking
  • summer bookings
Synonyms
  • engagement

    formal word for an arranged performance or appearance

  • gig

    informal and mainly used for a single live show, especially in music

  • date

    informal in entertainment; often focuses on one stop on a tour

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

booking for + show/date

receive bookings

confirm a booking

Usage Note

The person or group performing is usually the focus, and the noun often appears with venues, tours, agents, and dates. Distinguish from noun/1: sense 3 is about hiring entertainment, not reserving a service for yourself.

Common Mistakes

The singer made a booking at the hotel lounge.
The singer got a booking at the hotel lounge.
performers usually 'get' or 'receive' a booking from a venue.
The club gave many booking to local bands.
The club gave many bookings to local bands.
use the plural when talking about several arranged shows.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For hotels, flights, restaurant tables, and similar services, booking and reservation are often the closest choices. Reservation can sound a little more formal, and it is especially common in American English. Appointment is different because it is used for a planned meeting with a person, such as a doctor or lawyer. Registration is different again: it means putting your name on a class, event, or system, not keeping a room or seat for later use. So you make a booking for a hotel room, an appointment with a dentist, and registration for a school camp. Those patterns help you choose the right word quickly.

reservation ↗appointment ↗registration ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Booking comes from the verb book. In earlier English, a book was not only something to read but also a written record. From that idea, to book first meant writing a name or event into a list. Later, the word developed the modern uses of reserving rooms or tickets and arranging performers. The football meaning still shows the older image most clearly, because the referee writes the player's name down.