chore
noun
a small or odd job; routine task.
chore
1
British
/ tʃɔː /
noun
-
a small routine task, esp a domestic one
-
an unpleasant task
-chore
2
British
combining form
Synonym Usage
See task.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of chore
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English char, Old English cyrr, variant of cierr, cerr. See char 3
Explanation
A chore is a duty or task you’re obligated to perform, often one that is unpleasant but necessary. Washing the dishes is a chore, and so is completing a homework assignment you aren’t excited about. Sometimes a thing that you wanted to do can become a chore if it ceases to be fun or interesting. Maybe Napoleon felt that conquering nations had become a chore by the time he was defeated in the Battle of Waterloo. The noun chore dates from the 18th century, when there were fewer appliances and more household tasks that needed to be done.
Vocabulary lists containing chore
A Single Shard
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Elijah of Buxton
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Sula
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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:
Typically, filing an extension isn’t a matter of putting off a cheerless chore.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026
But the World Cup came to seem more like a chore by the time Murphy’s successor, Sherrill, took office in January after campaigning with a laser focus on affordability.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026
Almodóvar is seated behind his desk, wearing a crisp white T-shirt under a tan chore coat.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
Finally they’ll examine the utility of corporate merch, such as Palantir’s french chore coat, and company retreats, like the Plex’s disastrous Survivor-themed getaway.
From Slate ● May 2, 2026
Dealing with my mother was a legal chore, but Mary met her match in Marjorie Moss.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
They have their uses, he says, but will never be able to tackle complicated situations in the real world, like getting a robot to do household chores.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Fisher said his dad is still capable of helping his mom, so Fisher does other chores that might cut into his father’s time to rest.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
It’s like coming home and seeing my children have done their chores and made their beds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
"Most of the humanoids you see are being teleoperated, or they've got very specific paths and chores that they do," said Chris Matthieu of startup RealSense, which makes cameras for robots.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
For the first time in her life she wasn’t burdened with chores from dawn to dusk.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Definitions 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.
