task
a definite piece of work assigned to, falling to, or expected of a person; duty.
any piece of work.
a matter of considerable labor or difficulty.
Obsolete. a tax or impost.
to subject to severe or excessive labor or exertion; put a strain upon (powers, resources, etc.).
to impose a task on.
Obsolete. to tax.
of or relating to a task or tasks: A task chart will help organize the department's work.
Idioms about task
take to task, to call to account; blame; censure: The teacher took them to task for not doing their homework.
Origin of task
1synonym study For task
Other words for task
Other words from task
- taskless, adjective
- subtask, noun
- un·tasked, adjective
Words Nearby task
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use task in a sentence
In 2011 LGBT media outlet Queerty took the app to task for allegedly deleting accounts that made reference to being trans.
Detectives with a fugitive task force caught up with Polanco and a friend on a Bronx street in the early afternoon.
Sabrine is a trained lawyer, likely a helpful quality when your task is to push politicians.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda | Ruth Michaelson | December 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt was a complex task they were asked to do, and every cultural and experiential advantage would be required.
Why Did We Panic After 9/11 and Ignore All We Knew About Responding to Security Threats? | Deborah Pearlstein | December 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBefore dying in 1219, Marshal would begin the task of rebuilding England after decades of war.
England’s Greatest Knight Puts ‘Game of Thrones’ to Shame | William O’Connor | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
And it was no light task, then, for six hundred men to keep the peace on a thousand miles of frontier.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairWill the new issues promptly retire when their special task is over?
Readings in Money and Banking | Chester Arthur PhillipsHe sighed as he laid the papers on the table; for he thought the task would be a harder one than even his own immolation.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane PorterHaving accomplished his task within three months Datto Mandi withdrew with all his men, except two who wished to settle at Pardo.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanThrough the beautiful, windy autumn days, he labored at his difficult task, the task of telling a story.
The Homesteader | Oscar Micheaux
British Dictionary definitions for task
/ (tɑːsk) /
a specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or chore
an unpleasant or difficult job or duty
any piece of work
take to task to criticize or reprove
to assign a task to
to subject to severe strain; tax
Origin of task
1Derived forms of task
- tasker, noun
- taskless, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with task
see take to task.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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