task

American  

[task, tahsk] / tæsk, tɑsk /

noun

1. a definite piece of work assigned to, falling to, or expected of a person; duty.

   Synonyms:

   assignment, job

2. any piece of work.

   Synonyms:

   assignment, job

3. a matter of considerable labor or difficulty.

4. Obsolete. a tax or impost.

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verb (used with object)

tasks, present (3rd person singular) tasked, past participle, past tasking present participle

1. to subject to severe or excessive labor or exertion; put a strain upon (powers, resources, etc.).

2. to impose a task on.

3. Obsolete. to tax.

adjective

1. of or relating to a task or tasks.

   A task chart will help organize the department's work.

idioms

1. take to task, to call to account; blame; censure.

   The teacher took them to task for not doing their homework.

task British  

/ tɑːsk /

noun

1. a specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or chore

2. an unpleasant or difficult job or duty

3. any piece of work

4. to criticize or reprove

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verb

1. to assign a task to

2. to subject to severe strain; tax

task More Idioms  

1. see take to task.

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Synonym Usage

Task, chore, job, assignment refer to a definite and specific instance or act of work. Task and chore and, to a lesser extent, job often imply work that is tiresome, arduous, or otherwise unpleasant. Task usually refers to a clearly defined piece of work, sometimes of short or limited duration, assigned to or expected of a person: the task of pacifying angry customers; a difficult, time-consuming task. A chore is a minor task, usually one of several performed as part of a routine, as in farming, and often more tedious than difficult: the daily chore of taking out the garbage; early morning chores of feeding the livestock. Job is the most general of these terms, referring to almost any work or responsibility, including a person's means of earning a living: the job of washing the windows; a well-paying job in advertising. Assignment refers to a specific task allocated to a person by someone in a position of authority: a homework assignment; a reporter's assignment to cover international news.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• tasker
  noun
• subtask
  noun
• untasked
  adjective
• taskless
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have tasked
  perfect
• has tasked
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have been tasking
  perfect progressive
• are tasking
  progressive
• is tasking
  progressive 3rd person singular
• has been tasking
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• am tasking
  progressive 1st person singular
• tasks
  singular 3rd person
• tasking
  participle

Past

• had tasked
  perfect
• was tasking
  progressive singular
• had been tasking
  perfect progressive
• were tasking
  progressive plural
• tasked
  simple
• tasked
  participle

Future

• will task
  simple
• will have tasked
  perfect
• will be tasking
  progressive
• will have been tasking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of task

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun, from Medieval Latin tasca, variant of taxa tax ( def. )

Explanation

A task can be big or small, easy or really hard — but it's never more than a job that needs to get done. Chop chop! There's a task that needs completing, and you're just the person for the job. If you're smart though, you'll figure out a way to task someone else with it, or assign it elsewhere. Task comes to us all the way from the Latin word taxare, which in its earliest days meant "to impose a tax on." So much like the filling out of your tax forms, most tasks are considered chores.

Example Sentences

Researchers led by Suketu Patel put several leading AI models through a well-known psychology experiment called the Stroop task.

From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026

Learn how to use AI for any task you are given.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

"To this point we've had 35 teams that have come into the United States," Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the task force, said at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council in Washington.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

Earlier this year, the Japanese government established a ministerial task force and introduced emergency response measures to address the rise in bear attacks and reduce casualties.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

And I had one last task to fulfill.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

Related Words

• assignment
• burden
• business
• duty
• effort
• exercise
• function
• project
• responsibility
• undertaking
• work