script

script — noun

1. the written text containing all the words that actors speak in a film, televisio

1.nounB1
Definition

the written text containing all the words that actors speak in a film, television show, play, or that a news presenter reads on air.

Example

Hugo stayed up late to finish writing the script for the school play.

script + for + noun: purpose of the text

The director made several changes to the script before filming began.

Common collocations
  • write a script
  • read through a script
  • film script
  • shooting script
  • script editor
  • script supervisor
Synonyms
  • screenplay

    restricted to film and television, never used for theatre or radio

  • text

    broader; refers to any written words, not specifically performance-related

  • libretto

    specific to opera and musical theatre; very narrow

Grammar Patterns

script + of + noun

script + for + noun

Usage Note

Can be used both countably ('a script for a new film') and uncountably ('he wrote script for television').

Common Mistakes

She wrote the screenplay for the stage play.
She wrote the script for the stage play.
'screenplay' refers specifically to film; for theatre the standard word is 'script'.

2. an expected pattern of behaviour that people believe should happen in a particul

2.nounB2
Definition

an expected pattern of behaviour that people believe should happen in a particular situation, based on shared cultural or social knowledge.

Example

At a wedding, everyone seems to know the script without being told what to do.

Erik's apology followed the usual script: a short statement of regret followed by excuses.

collocation: follow the script

Common collocations
  • follow the script
  • stick to the script
  • the usual script
  • social script
  • cultural script
Synonyms
  • convention

    broader; refers to any accepted social custom, not necessarily sequential

  • protocol

    more formal; used in official or diplomatic contexts

  • routine

    focuses on repeated actions rather than expected behaviour

Grammar Patterns

the + script + for + noun

Usage Note

Frequently used with 'follow', 'stick to', or 'break from'. The word is often preceded by 'the' or a possessive ('their cultural script').

Common Mistakes

The script of the dinner party was written by the host.
At a dinner party, people tend to follow the usual social script without thinking.
For social expectations, 'script' is a metaphor, not a literal document.

3. the complete set of written symbols, such as letters or characters, used to repr

3.nounB1
Definition

the complete set of written symbols, such as letters or characters, used to represent the sounds or words of a language.

Example

The Arabic script is used for writing many languages, including Persian and Urdu.

Sirin is learning to read the Korean script, which was created in the fifteenth century.

collocation: Korean / Cyrillic / Arabic script

Common collocations
  • Latin script
  • Cyrillic script
  • Arabic script
  • in script
  • written in ... script
Synonyms
  • alphabet

    narrower; refers only to a set of letters, not logographic or syllabic writing systems

  • writing system

    the broader technical term that includes scripts, alphabets, and other orthographies

  • orthography

    formal term; includes spelling rules in addition to the character set

Grammar Patterns

the + language-name + script

Usage Note

Often paired with the name of the script family (Latin, Cyrillic, Arabic, Devanagari). Do not confuse with 'language' — a language can be written in multiple scripts (e.g. Serbian uses both Cyrillic and Latin).

Common Mistakes

Chinese script is hard to learn' (when meaning the language).
The Chinese writing system uses characters rather than an alphabet.
'Script' refers to the writing system, not the language itself.

4. handwritten text, especially when the letters are formed in an attractive or car

4.nounB2
Definition

handwritten text, especially when the letters are formed in an attractive or carefully made way.

Example

The invitation was written in beautiful script on thick cream paper.

collocation: in ... script (describing handwriting style)

Grandma's old recipe book is filled with her neat cursive script from the 1950s.

Common collocations
  • cursive script
  • Gothic script
  • elegant script
  • flowing script
  • in script
  • old English script
Synonyms
  • handwriting

    everyday term; neutral, neither formal nor informal

  • penmanship

    formal term focusing on skill and style

  • calligraphy

    decorative handwriting as an art form; more specialised

Grammar Patterns

possessive + script

in + adjective + script

Usage Note

Chiefly British and formal in this sense. In modern everyday use 'handwriting' is more common. 'Script' as handwriting often implies a particular style (cursive, italic, Gothic, etc.).

Common Mistakes

I have bad script.
I have bad handwriting.
In the 'handwriting' sense, 'script' usually describes an attractive or formal style; plain 'handwriting' is the everyday word.

5. a short computer program or series of commands that performs a specific task aut

5.nounB2
Definition

a short computer program or series of commands that performs a specific task automatically, often written in a high-level language.

Example

Andrés wrote a simple script to rename every file in the folder at once.

script + to + infinitive (purpose)

The server runs a script every night to back up user data automatically.

Common collocations
  • write a script
  • run a script
  • shell script
  • Python script
  • JavaScript script
  • deploy a script
Synonyms
  • program

    broader; includes compiled software and large applications

  • batch file

    specific to Windows command-line scripts

  • macro

    a short script that automates repetitive tasks within a specific application

Grammar Patterns

script + to + infinitive

run/execute + script

Usage Note

Refers to interpreted rather than compiled code — scripts run line-by-line without a separate compilation step. Common in web development (JavaScript), system administration (shell scripts), and automation (Python scripts).

Common Mistakes

The script was compiled and turned into an app.
The script was run directly without being compiled first.
Scripts are interpreted, not compiled; this distinguishes them from full applications.

6. the handwritten answer paper that a student produces during an examination, whic

6.nounC1
Definition

the handwritten answer paper that a student produces during an examination, which is later marked by an examiner.

Example

The examiner had over two hundred scripts to mark before the end of the week.

collocation: mark a script

Sumin checked her script twice before handing it to the invigilator at the front.

Common collocations
  • mark scripts
  • hand in a script
  • exam script
  • student script
  • scripts to mark
Synonyms
  • exam paper

    broader and more internationally understood; 'script' is chiefly British

  • answer booklet

    refers to the physical booklet rather than the content

  • test paper

    used in American English; can mean the question sheet or the answer sheet

Grammar Patterns

possessive + script

mark + script

Usage Note

Chiefly British English. In American English 'exam paper' or 'test booklet' is the usual term. Frequently used in the context of 'marking scripts' (grading papers).

Common Mistakes

She wrote her script neatly.' (unclear meaning)
She wrote her exam script neatly.
Without 'exam' or a clear examination context, readers may think of the film/play sense first.

7. an informal, shortened form of 'prescription'; a document from a doctor that aut

7.nounB2
Definition

an informal, shortened form of 'prescription'; a document from a doctor that authorises a patient to receive a particular medicine or treatment.

Example

The doctor wrote a script for antibiotics and told Tamar to rest for three days.

script + for + [medication]

Meera took the script to the pharmacy around the corner and waited for her medicine.

Common collocations
  • write a script
  • get a script
  • repeat script
  • script for [medication]
  • fill a script
Synonyms
  • prescription

    the full, formal term; use in formal writing or official contexts

  • Rx

    symbol commonly used on prescription pads; not spoken aloud

Grammar Patterns

script + for + noun

Usage Note

Informal abbreviation of 'prescription'. Common in spoken and informal written contexts. In formal medical writing, use 'prescription' instead. The word 'scrip' (without the 't') is a different term meaning a certificate or voucher.

Common Mistakes

I need a scrip for my medicine.
I need a script for my medicine.
'Scrip' (no 't') is a different word meaning a financial certificate or voucher, not a medical prescription.

script — verb

Word family

  • scripted
    adjectiveB2
  • scripting
    nounC1
  • scriptwriter
    nounB2
  • scriptural
    adjectiveC1
  • scripture
    nounB2
  • unscripted
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Script', 'screenplay', 'text', and 'manuscript' all refer to written material, but they apply to different contexts and formats. 'Script' is the broadest of these four in performance contexts: it covers the words for a film, a television episode, a stage play, a radio drama, or a live broadcast. A 'screenplay' is a type of script written specifically for a film or television production and includes technical directions for camera angles, scene transitions, and visual effects — a film director would work from a screenplay, while a theatre director works from a stage script. 'Text' is much more general: any written words, whether in a book, an email, a sign, or a performance. A 'manuscript' is an original handwritten or typed document before it is published, such as a novelist's early draft. In practice: when a playwright hands a director the words for the play, that is a 'script'; when a novelist sends a publisher the draft of their novel, that is a 'manuscript'; and when a screenwriter includes camera instructions, that is a 'screenplay'.

script ↗screenplay ↗text ↗manuscript ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • script editor
  • script writer
  • script supervisor
  • script doctor
  • script change

Adverbs

  • carefully scripted
  • loosely scripted
  • tightly scripted
  • originally scripted

Phrases

  • stick to the script
  • follow the script
  • off script
  • read from a script
  • go off script

Prepositions

  • script for
  • script by
  • script in
  • script of
  • on script

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'script' comes from Latin 'scriptum', meaning 'something written', which is the past participle of 'scribere' (to write). It entered English through Old French 'escrit' (a piece of writing) during the medieval period. The original sense was simply 'a written document'. Over time the meaning narrowed in specific directions: the performance-words sense emerged in the 1800s alongside the growth of theatre and later film; the computing sense arose in the 1960s as an analogy — a written set of instructions for a computer to follow, just as a film script tells actors what to say.