Booked vs. Book — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on April 22, 2024
"Booked" is the past tense of the verb "book," meaning to reserve, schedule, or make an arrangement, while "book" can be a noun referring to a set of written or printed pages, or a verb meaning to arrange or reserve something.
Difference Between Booked and Book
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
As a verb, "book" means to arrange for or reserve services, such as a flight, a hotel room, or a restaurant table. In contrast, "booked" is the past tense form, indicating that the action of booking has already been completed. For instance, when you say you have booked a flight, it means the reservation is made and confirmed.
When used as a noun, "book" refers to a written or printed work consisting of pages bound together, typically conveying stories, information, or other content. This differs from "booked," which does not function as a noun and solely relates to the action of reserving.
In the verb form, to "book" can also imply recording information, such as in police terminology where someone might be "booked" for an offense, meaning their details are officially recorded. This usage extends the verb "to book" beyond mere reservations into areas of legal and formal record-keeping.
"Booked" in colloquial use can sometimes express a state of being fully scheduled or having no available free time, highlighting its flexibility in everyday language. In contrast, "book" in the noun form might evolve into discussions about literature, learning, and entertainment, underscoring the cultural importance of books as objects.
Choosing between "book" and "booked" clearly depends on the action's timing or the object of discussion whether it is about making a reservation or referring to a physical or digital volume of written content.
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Comparison Chart
Part of Speech
Noun/Verb
Verb (past tense)
Definition
A set of printed or written pages; or to reserve something
Past tense of "book," indicating a completed reservation
Usage
Reading, learning, or making a reservation
Indicating a completed action of reservation
Context Example
Reading a book on history; booking a flight
Having booked a hotel for the vacation
Common Phrases
"Open book," "book a ticket"
"Fully booked," "booked solid"
Compare with Definitions
Booked
Recorded officially, as in police terms.
He was booked for speeding last night.
Book
A written or printed work.
She loves reading books on psychology.
Booked
Reserved or arranged in advance.
The flight was fully booked by the time I tried to get tickets.
Book
A unit of literary work.
The book won several awards for its narrative.
Booked
Used to express a busy schedule.
I'm booked all day with meetings.
Book
Bound pages containing text or illustrations.
He gifted me a book of ancient maps.
Booked
Simple past tense and past participle of book
Book
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arrangement is codex (plural, codices).
Booked
Registered.
Book
A written or printed work consisting of pages glued or sewn together along one side and bound in covers
A book of selected poems
Booked
On the way; destined.
Book
A bound set of blank sheets for writing in
An accounts book
Booked
Reserved in advance; held for future use. See reserve{2}.
Book
A set of tickets, stamps, matches, samples of cloth, etc., bound together
A pattern book
Booked
Reserved in advance
Book
Reserve (accommodation, a place, etc.); buy (a ticket) in advance
Book early to avoid disappointment
I have booked a table at the Swan
Book
Make an official note of the personal details of (a person who has broken a law or rule)
The cop booked me and took me down to the station
Book
Leave suddenly
They just ate your pizza and drank your soda and booked
Book
A set of written, printed, or blank pages fastened along one side and encased between protective covers.
Book
An e-book or other electronic resource structured like a book.
Book
A printed or written literary work
Did you ever finish writing that book?.
Book
A main division of a larger printed or written work
A book of the Old Testament.
Book
A volume in which financial or business transactions are recorded.
Book
Books Financial or business records considered as a group
Checked the expenditures on the books.
Book
A libretto.
Book
The script of a play.
Book
The Bible.
Book
The Koran.
Book
A set of prescribed standards or rules on which decisions are based
Runs the company by the book.
Book
Something regarded as a source of knowledge or understanding.
Book
The total amount of experience, knowledge, understanding, and skill that can be used in solving a problem or performing a task
We used every trick in the book to finish the project on schedule.
Book
(Informal) Factual information, especially of a private nature
What's the book on him?.
Book
A pack of like or similar items bound together
A book of matches.
Book
A record of bets placed on a race.
Book
(Games) The number of card tricks needed before any tricks can have scoring value, as the first six tricks taken by the declaring side in bridge.
Book
To arrange for or purchase (tickets or lodgings, for example) in advance; reserve.
Book
To arrange a reservation, as for a hotel room, for (someone)
Book me into the best hotel in town.
Book
To hire or engage
Booked a band for Saturday night.
Book
To list or register in a book
Booked the revenue from last month's sales.
Book
To list or record appointments or engagements in
A calendar that was booked solid on Tuesday.
Book
To record information about (a suspected offender) after arrest in preparation for arraignment, usually including a criminal history search, fingerprinting, and photographing.
Book
(Sports) To record the flagrant fouls of (a player) for possible disciplinary action, as in soccer.
Book
To designate a time for; schedule
Let's book a meeting for next month.
Book
To be hired for or engaged in
The actor has booked his next movie with that director.
Book
To make a reservation
Book early if you want good seats.
Book
(Informal) To move or travel rapidly
We booked along at a nice clip.
Book
Of or relating to knowledge learned from books rather than actual experience
Has book smarts but not street smarts.
Book
Appearing in a company's financial records
Book profits.
Book
A collection of sheets of paper bound together to hinge at one edge, containing printed or written material, pictures, etc.
She opened the book to page 37 and began to read aloud.
He was frustrated because he couldn't find anything about dinosaurs in the book.
Book
A long work fit for publication, typically prose, such as a novel or textbook, and typically published as such a bound collection of sheets, but now sometimes electronically as an e-book.
I have three copies of his first book.
Book
A major division of a long work.
Genesis is the first book of the Bible.
Many readers find the first book of A Tale of Two Cities to be confusing.
Book
(gambling) A record of betting (from the use of a notebook to record what each person has bet).
I'm running a book on who is going to win the race.
Book
(informal) A bookmaker (a person who takes bets on sporting events and similar); bookie; turf accountant.
Book
A convenient collection, in a form resembling a book, of small paper items for individual use.
A book of stamps
A book of raffle tickets
Book
(theatre) The script of a musical or opera.
Book
Records of the accounts of a business.
Book
A book award, a recognition for receiving the highest grade in a class (traditionally an actual book, but recently more likely a letter or certificate acknowledging the achievement).
Book
(whist) Six tricks taken by one side.
Book
(poker slang) Four of a kind.
Book
(sports) A document, held by the referee, of the incidents happened in the game.
Book
A list of all players who have been booked (received a warning) in a game.
Book
(cartomancy) The twenty-sixth Lenormand card.
Book
(figurative) Any source of instruction.
Book
(with "the") The accumulated body of knowledge passed down among black pimps.
Book
A portfolio of one's previous work in the industry.
Book
(transitive) To reserve (something) for future use.
I want to book a hotel room for tomorrow night.
I can book tickets for the concert next week.
Book
(transitive) To write down, to register or record in a book or as in a book.
They booked that message from the hill
Book
(transitive) To add a name to the list of people who are participating in something.
I booked a flight to New York.
Book
To record the name and other details of a suspected offender and the offence for later judicial action.
The police booked him for driving too fast.
Book
(sports) To issue a caution to, usually a yellow card, or a red card if a yellow card has already been issued.
Book
To travel very fast.
He was really booking, until he passed the speed trap.
Book
To record bets as bookmaker.
Book
To receive the highest grade in a class.
The top three students had a bet on which one was going to book their intellectual property class.
Book
To leave.
He was here earlier, but he booked.
Book
A collection of sheets of paper, or similar material, blank, written, or printed, bound together; commonly, many folded and bound sheets containing continuous printing or writing.
Book
A part or subdivision of a treatise or literary work; as, the tenth book of "Paradise Lost."
Book
A volume or collection of sheets in which accounts are kept; a register of debts and credits, receipts and expenditures, etc.; - often used in the plural; as, they got a subpoena to examine our books.
Book
Six tricks taken by one side, in the game of bridge or whist, being the minimum number of tricks that must be taken before any additional tricks are counted as part of the score for that hand; in certain other games, two or more corresponding cards, forming a set.
Book
A written version of a play or other dramatic composition; - used in preparing for a performance.
Book
A set of paper objects (tickets, stamps, matches, checks etc.) bound together by one edge, like a book; as, he bought a book of stamps.
Book
A book or list, actual or hypothetical, containing records of the best performances in some endeavor; a recordbook; - used in the phrase one for the book or one for the books.
Book
The set of facts about an athlete's performance, such as typical performance or playing habits or methods, that are accumulated by potential opponents as an aid in deciding how best to compete against that athlete; as, the book on Ted Williams suggests pitching to him low and outside.
Book
Same as book value.
Book
The list of current buy and sell orders maintained by a stock market specialist.
Book
The purchase orders still outstanding and unfilled on a company's ledger; as, book to bill ratio.
Book
To enter, write, or register in a book or list.
Let it be booked with the rest of this day's deeds.
Book
To enter the name of (any one) in a book for the purpose of securing a passage, conveyance, or seat; to reserve{2}; also, to make an arrangement for a reservation; as, to be booked for Southampton; to book a seat in a theater; to book a reservation at a restaurant.
Book
To mark out for; to destine or assign for; as, he is booked for the valedictory.
Here I am booked for three days more in Paris.
Book
To make an official record of a charge against (a suspect in a crime); - performed by police.
Book
A written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together);
I am reading a good book on economics
Book
Physical objects consisting of a number of pages bound together;
He used a large book as a doorstop
Book
A record in which commercial accounts are recorded;
They got a subpoena to examine our books
Book
A number of sheets (ticket or stamps etc.) bound together on one edge;
He bought a book of stamps
Book
A compilation of the known facts regarding something or someone;
Al Smith used to say, `Let's look at the record'
His name is in all the recordbooks
Book
A major division of a long written composition;
The book of Isaiah
Book
A written version of a play or other dramatic composition; used in preparing for a performance
Book
A collection of rules or prescribed standards on the basis of which decisions are made;
They run things by the book around here
Book
The sacred writings of Islam revealed by God to the prophet Muhammad during his life at Mecca and Medina
Book
The sacred writings of the Christian religions;
He went to carry the Word to the heathen
Book
Record a charge in a police register;
The policeman booked her when she tried to solicit a man
Book
Arrange for and reserve (something for someone else) in advance;
Reserve me a seat on a flight
The agent booked tickets to the show for the whole family
Please hold a table at Maxim's
Book
Engage for a performance;
Her agent had booked her for several concerts in Tokyo
Book
Register in a hotel booker
Common Curiosities
What's the difference between booking a ticket and buying a ticket?
Booking a ticket refers to reserving it, while buying a ticket involves completing the purchase and securing ownership.
What does it mean to be booked for an offense?
It refers to the formal process of recording someone's details in the police system due to a legal infraction.
How can 'booked' imply a busy schedule?
Saying "I'm booked" typically means the person's schedule is full and they have no available time.
Is there a digital version of a book?
Yes, digital books or ebooks are electronic versions that can be read on digital devices.
What does it mean when a hotel is fully booked?
It means there are no rooms available as all have been reserved.
What are some synonyms for 'book' as a noun?
Volume, tome, and title are all synonyms for "book."
Can 'book' be used in informal contexts?
Yes, "book" can informally mean to leave quickly, as in "Let's book out of here."
What happens if you need to change something you've booked?
Typically, you would contact the service provider to alter the reservation details.
How do you use 'book' in a sentence regarding planning?
"I need to book our flights for the summer vacation."
What is the process called when a library lets you borrow a book?
This is known as checking out a book.
Can 'book' be used as a metaphor?
Yes, phrases like "life is an open book" use the term metaphorically.
How do you describe someone who likes to read a lot of books?
They are often referred to as a bibliophile or bookworm.
What are some challenges in the publishing industry regarding books?
Challenges include adapting to digital trends, copyright issues, and maintaining sales in a competitive market.
What's an example of a book impacting society?
"1984" by George Orwell has had a profound impact on discussions about surveillance and personal freedom.
How is 'book' used in technology terms?
"Book" can refer to an electronic manual or guide, such as an online instruction book.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
