undertake
Americanverb (used with object)
-
undertakes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
undertook,
past
-
undertaken,
past participle
-
undertaking
present participle
-
to take upon oneself, as a task, performance, etc.; attempt.
She undertook the job of answering all the mail.
-
to promise, agree, or obligate oneself (followed by an infinitive).
The married couple undertook to love, honor, and cherish each other.
-
to warrant or guarantee (followed by a clause).
The sponsors undertake that their candidate meets all the requirements.
-
to take in charge; assume the duty of attending to.
The lawyer undertook a new case.
verb (used without object)
-
undertakes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
undertook,
past
-
undertaken,
past participle
-
undertaking
present participle
verb
-
(tr) to contract to or commit oneself to (something) or (to do something)
to undertake a job
to undertake to deliver the goods
-
(tr) to attempt to; agree to start
-
(tr) to take (someone) in charge
-
archaic to make oneself responsible (for)
-
(tr) to promise
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
undertakesimple
-
undertakessimple
-
have undertakenperfect
-
has undertakenperfect
-
am undertakingprogressive
-
are undertakingprogressive
-
is undertakingprogressive
-
have been undertakingperfect progressive
-
has been undertakingperfect progressive
Past
-
undertooksimple
-
had undertakenperfect
-
was undertakingprogressive
-
were undertakingprogressive
-
had been undertakingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of undertake
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English undertaken; see under-, take
Explanation
When you undertake a task or challenge, you attempt to accomplish it. If you want to undertake a verbal challenge right now, try saying “sushi chef” ten times quickly without messing up. Way back in the 13th century, undertake meant “seize” or “entrap.” Of course, the meaning has shifted significantly since then, and we hope you don’t feel entrapped when you decide to undertake a project. However, undertake does convey a level of commitment and involvement that’s somewhat stronger than the words try or attempt might suggest.
Vocabulary lists containing undertake
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Franklin D. Roosevelt, "A Date That Will Live In Infamy" (1941)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Mayflower Compact (1620)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Cabinet Office said it would also undertake a wider review of workplace conflict and resolution across Whitehall within a year.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
A US real estate firm announced Wednesday it is buying the Chrysler Building and will undertake a vast makeover of the Art Deco landmark that dominates New York City's skyline.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Able-bodied South Korean males are usually required to undertake between 18 and 21 months of military service before the age of 28.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Modern European and American eels undertake extraordinary migrations, traveling thousands of kilometers from freshwater rivers to reproduce in the Sargasso Sea.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
People had time to pause in their occupations to undertake the passing art of neighborliness.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
The sector undertakes financing that has traditionally been performed by banks—whether for lending to companies, private-equity deals or other transactions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Unitree’s humanoid robots can walk, run and climb and “can imitate & reinforce the learning drive” said the company, referring to algorithms that train the robot’s artificial intelligence as it undertakes tasks.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
In the memorandum of understanding, the United States undertakes to "terminate all types of sanctions against" Iran, and to "make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets" of Iran.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
The eleventh point of the document notes that the US "undertakes to make fully available frozen or restricted funds" once the MoU is signed and that procedures will be agreed upon during negotiations.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
If Miss Taylor undertakes to wrap Miss Emma up, you need not have any fears, sir.’
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
Boeing, which expects to commence 737 MAX 10 deliveries in 2027, said it undertook more than 2,000 hours of flight testing and supplied tens of thousands of pages of documentation.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
Prosecutors charged Linton under an “implied malice” theory, meaning Linton is guilty if she knew her actions were dangerous to human life but undertook them anyway.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Concern stems from recent reports that Anthropic blocked use of AI tools to develop bioweapons and that swarms of AI bots autonomously undertook massive hacking operations.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
The Chinese operation also undertook a campaign of mass reporting and bot-network amplification against journalists from the Uyghur diaspora, according to Anthropic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
He kept his training secret from his father, even when he undertook two long-distance tests, one between Lattakia and Jableh and another between Jableh and Baniyas.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
Some responses to the wreckage can be undertaken through new leadership.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
This sentence could refer to any number of actions undertaken by the department in recent months.
From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026
His campaign attracted many PRI dissidents who opposed the free-market economic reforms undertaken by then-President Miguel de la Madrid.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
"It’s not an issue that can be solved with a law or a regulatory change. It’s a systematic effort that has to be undertaken," said Guajardo.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
Only in a culture where the authority of the great classical authors such as Ptolemy and Galen had begun to be undermined could a project like Vesalius’s Fabric be undertaken.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
"This is going to be really difficult for me personally, 100%," acknowledged Evans, who is undertaking his second challenge for the BBC charity fundraiser, following his 24-hour drumathon challenge back in 2021.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
And credit must be due to Underwood for pulling off an undertaking where any little slip would be pounced on by critics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
"A researcher might be able to examine a few thousand Reddit posts by hand, but looking at nearly 150,000 would be an enormous undertaking," says Sehgal.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
“The U.K. is one of only a few major economies to be undertaking active fiscal consolidation,” economists at BNP Paribas wrote in a note to clients.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
Changing cultural values was never a modest undertaking.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
