scheduler

IPA/ˈʃedjuːlə(r)/
KK[skˈɛdʒʊlɚ]IPA/ˈskedʒuːlər/

scheduler — noun

  • schedulersingular
  • schedulersplural

1. someone whose job is to plan when each task or job will be done and to make sure

1.nounB2
Definition

someone whose job is to plan when each task or job will be done and to make sure everything happens at the right time.

Example

The hospital hired a scheduler to plan shifts for every nurse on the ward.

scheduler + plan [tasks/times]

As the factory scheduler, Devika decides which orders the machines finish first.

role: the [place] scheduler

Common collocations
  • factory scheduler
  • project scheduler
  • shift scheduler
Synonyms
  • planner

    broader; a planner may design ideas, while a scheduler fixes the timing

  • coordinator

    focuses on making people and tasks work together, not only on timing

Usage Note

Subject is usually a workplace role; the object is the tasks, shifts, or events being arranged in time. Distinguish from sense 3, which is a machine or program, not a person.

2. someone at a television or radio company who chooses which programmes go out and

2.nounC1
Definition

someone at a television or radio company who chooses which programmes go out and at what time of day.

Example

The channel's scheduler moved the popular cooking show to a later evening slot.

scheduler moves [programme] to [slot]

As the station's scheduler, Eshe puts cartoons on early on Saturday mornings.

role: the [station]'s scheduler

Common collocations
  • TV scheduler
  • radio scheduler
  • channel scheduler
Synonyms
  • programmer

    in broadcasting, the person who plans the line-up of shows; near-equivalent here

Usage Note

Specific to broadcasting; the object is programmes and the times or slots they air. Unlike sense 1, this scheduler always works for a TV or radio company.

3. a program or part of a computer that decides the order in which jobs and tasks s

3.nounC1
Definition

a program or part of a computer that decides the order in which jobs and tasks should run.

Example

The scheduler runs the most urgent task first and leaves slower ones for later.

scheduler runs [task] first

When the laptop slowed down, the scheduler paused the backup until midnight.

scheduler pauses [job]

Common collocations
  • task scheduler
  • job scheduler
  • process scheduler
Synonyms
  • dispatcher

    in computing, the part that actually hands a chosen job to the processor

Usage Note

Object is computer jobs, tasks, or processes, never people. Distinguish from senses 1 and 2, which are human workers; this scheduler is software or hardware.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three help organise work, but they differ in focus. A scheduler is mainly concerned with timing — deciding when each task or job happens and in what order, so nothing clashes or runs late. A planner works at an earlier stage: deciding what should be done and shaping the overall plan, often before any times are fixed. A coordinator focuses on people and parts working smoothly together, making sure everyone has what they need at the right moment. For example, a planner might decide a hospital needs more weekend cover; a scheduler then sets the exact shifts each nurse works; and a coordinator keeps the nurses, doctors, and supplies aligned during a busy weekend. Choose scheduler when timing and order are the heart of the job.

scheduler ↗planner ↗coordinator ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • task scheduler
  • job scheduler
  • shift scheduler
  • project scheduler

Prepositions

  • scheduler for [a task or project]

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Scheduler comes from the verb schedule plus the ending -er, which marks a person or thing that does something. Schedule itself goes back through Old French to the Late Latin word schedula, meaning a small slip of paper or note. Over time schedule came to mean a planned list of times, and a scheduler became the person — or later the computer program — that creates and manages that timing.