task

American  

[task, tahsk] / tæsk, tɑsk /

noun

tasks plural

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

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tasks
  plural

Participles

• tasking
  present
• tasked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• task
  simple
• tasks
  simple
• have tasked
  perfect
• has tasked
  perfect
• am tasking
  progressive
• are tasking
  progressive
• is tasking
  progressive
• have been tasking
  perfect progressive
• has been tasking
  perfect progressive

Past

• tasked
  simple
• had tasked
  perfect
• was tasking
  progressive
• were tasking
  progressive
• had been tasking
  perfect progressive

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

Even the very sharp rally it engineered in August 2024 only lasted a few weeks, and its task was made easier by the Federal Reserve’s decision to start cutting rates not long afterwards.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 30, 2026

You might therefore think managing such an elite group of players is an easy task - but this is not necessarily true.

From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026

That uncertainty is pushing companies toward another tactic: paying less per task.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026

Until those task forces release their findings, the chairman’s words may have to do the heavy lifting.

From Barron's • Jun. 29, 2026

Michael laughed and looked around the apartment, hoping there was something he could do, some small task to keep himself busy and help Mr. Mosley at the same time.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Related Words

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