calendar

calendar — noun

1. a set of pages or a large sheet that arranges all the dates of a twelve-month pe

1.nounA2
Definition

a set of pages or a large sheet that arranges all the dates of a twelve-month period into a grid by week and month, commonly put on a wall or resting on a desk.

Example

Leila hung a new calendar on the kitchen wall to track the family's activities.

calendar + on [wall] — physical placement

The calendar on her desk shows a beautiful picture of cherry blossoms for April.

Common collocations
  • wall calendar
  • desk calendar
  • pocket calendar
  • tear-off calendar
  • hang a calendar
  • calendar page
Synonyms
  • almanac

    an almanac includes additional astronomical data and forecasts, not just dates

2. a physical notebook or electronic application that divides each day into its own

2.nounB1
Definition

a physical notebook or electronic application that divides each day into its own section, letting you note down future meetings, tasks, and deadlines.

Example

Ravi checked his calendar before agreeing to the lunch meeting next Tuesday.

check + calendar — common collocation for consulting plans

The doctor's receptionist asked me to put the checkup date in my calendar.

Common collocations
  • check your calendar
  • keep a calendar
  • digital calendar
  • shared calendar
  • put something in your calendar
  • calendar app
Synonyms
  • diary

    more common in British English for a personal appointment book

  • planner

    often implies a more detailed scheduling tool with goal-setting sections

  • schedule

    focuses on the timeline of events rather than the book or tool itself

Common Mistakes

I wrote it on my agenda.
I wrote it in my calendar.
'agenda' is a list of items to discuss at a meeting; 'calendar' is for dates and appointments.

3. a system used by a particular culture or religion to divide time into days, mont

3.nounB1
Definition

a system used by a particular culture or religion to divide time into days, months, and years and to fix the dates of important events.

Example

The Islamic calendar is based on the cycles of the moon rather than the sun.

[religious/cultural system] + calendar — naming a specific system

Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year due to the lunar calendar.

Common collocations
  • the Gregorian calendar
  • the lunar calendar
  • the Islamic calendar
  • the Hebrew calendar
  • based on the calendar
  • follow the calendar
Synonyms

Usage Note

Subject is usually a specific culture, religion, or civilization (e.g. the Jewish calendar, the Roman calendar). Not used for personal appointment-keeping — that is sense 2.

Common Mistakes

I checked my lunar calendar to see if I am free on Monday.
I checked my lunar calendar to find the date of the festival.
the dating-system sense is for cultural or religious timekeeping, not personal scheduling.

4. a publication or roster showing the key dates, activities, and deadlines that ma

4.nounB1
Definition

a publication or roster showing the key dates, activities, and deadlines that matter to a particular organisation, school, or professional field during a given year.

Example

The school's academic calendar lists exam weeks, holidays, and parent-teacher days.

academic calendar — common institutional collocation

The company released its calendar of industry conferences and trade shows for next year.

Common collocations
  • academic calendar
  • event calendar
  • cultural calendar
  • sports calendar
  • political calendar
  • calendar of events
Synonyms
  • schedule

    broader term; can refer to any timetable, not just a yearly one

  • program

    often emphasises the content of the events rather than the dates

  • roster

    more common for sports teams or work shifts than general events

Usage Note

Often preceded by a domain-specific adjective (academic, cultural, sporting, political). Unlike sense 2, this refers to a published roster of events rather than a personal appointment book.

calendar — verb

Word family

  • calendric
    adjectiveC1
  • calendrical
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All four words can refer to a tool for organising time, but they differ in use. A calendar (sense 2) shows dates in a monthly or daily view and is used for appointments and deadlines — in British English, a diary serves the same purpose and is more common for personal use. A planner is a more structured book that includes goal-setting sections, to-do lists, and sometimes budgeting pages, so it is often used for long-term project planning. A schedule focuses on the sequence of events or tasks at specific times, rather than the physical or digital tool itself — for example, a bus schedule tells you departure times, but you would not call it a diary. In American English, 'calendar' is the dominant word for any date-keeping tool: 'Put it in your calendar.' In British English, 'diary' is preferred for the personal appointment book ('I'll check my diary'), while 'calendar' more often refers to the wall-hanging type (sense 1).

calendar ↗diary ↗planner ↗schedule ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • calendar year
  • calendar month
  • calendar day

Phrases

  • mark your calendar
  • clear your calendar
  • save the date

Prepositions

  • on the calendar
  • in the calendar

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'calendar' comes from Latin 'calendarium', meaning 'account book' or 'interest register'. In ancient Rome, the 'calendae' (calends) was the first day of the month, when debts were due and publicly announced. The meaning shifted from a financial record of due dates to the printed table of days we now use. The word entered English through Old French 'calendier' in the 13th century.