scripts

IPA/skrɪpt/
KK[skrˈɪpts]IPA/skrɪpt/

scripts — noun

  • scriptssingular
  • scriptsesplural

1. the written words that actors perform or a speaker reads aloud in a film, play,

1.nounB1
Definition

the written words that actors perform or a speaker reads aloud in a film, play, television show, or speech

Example

Theo stayed up all night reading the script for his next stage play.

collocation: script for [film/play]

The director asked Sofia to rewrite the final scene of the film script.

collocation: rewrite the script

Common collocations
  • script for a film
  • read the script
  • rewrite the script
  • film script
  • movie script
Synonyms
  • screenplay

    narrower — refers specifically to a film script with stage directions

  • dialogue

    only the spoken lines, not the full written text

Grammar Patterns

the script for [film/play/show]

Usage Note

Often paired with a possessive or 'of' phrase to show whose words they are: 'the script of the play', 'the film's script'.

Common Mistakes

He wrote the screenplay for the movie.' (when you mean the spoken words only).
He wrote the script for the movie.
A screenplay includes camera directions and scene descriptions; a script focuses on the dialogue and action spoken by the actors.

2. a set of expected actions or responses that people follow automatically in a fam

2.nounB2
Definition

a set of expected actions or responses that people follow automatically in a familiar social situation

Example

In many cultures, the script for a wedding includes a ceremony followed by a meal.

collocation: the script for [event/situation]

Kwame did not know the script for meeting a partner's family for the first time.

Common collocations
  • social script
  • cultural script
  • the script for [situation]
  • follow the script
Synonyms
  • convention

    broader — a general custom rather than a specific sequence of actions

  • routine

    more personal — a habitual way of doing things, not necessarily shared

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the script for [situation]

Usage Note

This figurative sense is common in psychology and sociology. Do not confuse with sense 1 — here no actual written text exists; 'script' refers to an unwritten social pattern.

Common Mistakes

The wedding script was printed on nice paper.' (if you mean written text).
The wedding followed the usual social script.
Sense 2 describes unwritten expectations, not a physical text.

3. the collection of written symbols that a particular language uses for writing, s

3.nounB2
Definition

the collection of written symbols that a particular language uses for writing, such as letters or characters

Example

Mei-Lin learned to read the Arabic script during her year studying in Jordan.

collocation: [language] script

The Korean script, called Hangul, was created in the fifteenth century.

Common collocations
  • Arabic script
  • Latin script
  • Cyrillic script
  • in script form
Synonyms
  • alphabet

    narrower — only covers letters that represent sounds, not logographic systems like Chinese characters

  • writing system

    broader term that includes alphabets, syllabaries, and logographies

Grammar Patterns

the [language] script

Usage Note

Use with a language name or adjective to specify which writing system (e.g. 'the Arabic script', 'the Roman script'). Not every language has its own unique script.

Common Mistakes

The English script uses 26 letters.' (correct but unnatural).
The Latin script is used for English.
It is more natural to name the script than the language.

4. handwriting, especially when it is formed in a particular style such as joined-u

4.nounB2
Definition

handwriting, especially when it is formed in a particular style such as joined-up letters

Example

The old letter was written in elegant script that was hard to read at first.

collocation: [adjective] script (elegant/neat/messy)

Amara's cursive script was beautiful, so her teacher asked her to write the class notice.

Common collocations
  • elegant script
  • neat script
  • flowing script
  • in script
Synonyms
  • handwriting

    neutral term — script implies a more formal or stylised form

  • cursive

    specifically joined-up writing, a subset of script

Antonyms
  • print

    separate, non-joined letters as opposed to flowing script

Grammar Patterns

[adjective] script

Usage Note

Usually uncountable — do not say 'a script' or 'scripts' when referring to handwriting style. Use 'a script' only in sense 1 or sense 3.

Common Mistakes

I got a script from my grandmother in the mail.' (when meaning a handwritten letter).
I received a handwritten letter in my grandmother's beautiful script.
Use 'script' for the style of writing, not the document itself.

5. a set of instructions written in a programming language that tells a computer to

5.nounB1
Definition

a set of instructions written in a programming language that tells a computer to perform a specific task, often used for websites or automating work

Example

Lukas wrote a short script in Python to sort through the customer database.

collocation: write a script in [language]

The website's search function broke because of a bug in the JavaScript script.

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

    broader — a program can be a large compiled application; a script is typically smaller and interpreted

  • code

    more general — 'code' can refer to any part of a program, while 'script' is a specific file or set of instructions

Grammar Patterns

[language] script

run a script

write a script

Usage Note

In computing, 'script' usually means a shorter, task-specific program rather than a full software application. Common scripting languages include Python, JavaScript, and Bash.

Common Mistakes

I need to install a script on my computer.' (too vague).
I need to install a Python script that backs up my files.
Specify what the script does and which language it is written in.

6. a written answer paper produced by a student during an examination

6.nounC1
Definition

a written answer paper produced by a student during an examination

Example

The examiner collected all the scripts at the end of the two-hour test.

collocation: collect scripts

Fatima carefully checked her exam script for spelling mistakes before handing it in.

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

    broader — can mean the question paper or the answer sheet; 'script' is only the answer

Grammar Patterns

mark scripts

hand in a script

Usage Note

Chiefly British English. In American English, 'exam paper' or 'test answer sheet' are more common. Usually appears in a teaching or examination context.

Common Mistakes

I studied the script for my history exam.' (confusing with sense 1).
I studied for my history exam.
'Script' in this sense refers to your finished answers, not your study material.

7. an informal British shortening of 'prescription' — a doctor's written or digital

7.nounB2
Definition

an informal British shortening of 'prescription' — a doctor's written or digital order telling a patient what medicine to take and in what amount

Example

Theo took the script to the pharmacy and waited fifteen minutes for his medicine.

collocation: take a script to the pharmacy

The doctor wrote a script for antibiotics and told Elena to rest for two days.

collocation: write a script for [medicine]

Common collocations
  • pick up a script
  • write a script
  • repeat script
  • a script for [medicine]
Synonyms
  • prescription

    the full form — more formal and used internationally

Grammar Patterns

pick up a script

a script for [medicine]

Usage Note

Informal British shortening of 'prescription'. Used in everyday speech but less common in formal medical writing. In American English the full word 'prescription' is preferred.

Common Mistakes

The doctor gave me a script for some tests.' (not used for tests).
The doctor gave me a script for antibiotics.
'Script' refers only to medication, not to other medical orders.

scripts — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words relate to written texts, but each has a distinct scope. A 'script' is the written text of a film, play, or broadcast that contains the words actors speak and basic stage directions. A 'screenplay' is a specific type of script written for a film or TV show, typically including detailed camera directions, scene settings, and visual descriptions — it is a narrower, industry-specific term. 'Dialogue' refers only to the spoken lines between characters, not to the surrounding stage directions or descriptions. 'Manuscript' is the broadest term: it describes any unpublished handwritten or typed document, such as a novel or academic paper before publication. For example, a screenwriter finishes a 'screenplay' and sends it to the studio; the actors receive a 'script' with their lines; the 'dialogue' between the two leads was rewritten five times; and the original 'manuscript' of the play is kept in the library archives.

screenplay ↗script ↗dialogue ↗manuscript ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • follow the script
  • stick to the script
  • go off script
  • stay on script

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'script' entered English in the 14th century, meaning 'something written'. It comes from Old French 'escrit', which traces back to Latin 'scriptum', the neuter past participle of 'scribere' meaning 'to write'. The computing sense emerged in the 1970s as short programs needed a word for a set of interpreted instructions — borrowing the idea of a 'script' as a written plan to be followed. The medical abbreviation sense (short for 'prescription') dates from the mid-20th century, reflecting the same shortening of the written document to a simple label.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Verb