undertaking
Americannoun
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the act of a person who undertakes any task or responsibility.
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a task, enterprise, etc., undertaken.
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a promise; pledge; guarantee.
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the business of an undertaker or funeral director.
noun
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something undertaken; task, venture, or enterprise
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an agreement to do something
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the business of an undertaker
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informal the practice of overtaking on an inner lane a vehicle which is travelling in an outer lane
Etymology
Origin of undertaking
Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at under, taking
Explanation
Painting a house is a serious undertaking––it looks simple but involves a lot of preparation and hard work. An undertaking is a job or a task you commit to. The word also can mean the profession of funeral management. When you take something under consideration, it means you're not necessarily going to do it, you're just going to think about it. When you take something on, you've undertaken to actually do it. The word undertaking suggests something that involves quite a bit of work. Organizing an Oxfam hunger-day at your school is a significant undertaking, but it's worth all the effort.
Vocabulary lists containing undertaking
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Can I Work It? Words for "Job"
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The Giver
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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.
Undertaking a new challenge every few years can show employers you’re ambitious, but not flighty.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 22, 2025
Palastro and his colleagues studied the unique properties of quasiparticles in plasmas by running advanced computer simulations on supercomputers available through the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking.
From Science Daily • Oct. 19, 2023
Undertaking the pilgrimage has been on Khaliq’s mind for several years; she would read and watch videos about Hajj rituals and ask others who had gone about their experiences.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 14, 2023
Undertaking one of biggest reshuffles in the Wall Street firm's history, Goldman will combine its investment banking and trading businesses into one unit, while merging asset and wealth management into another, the report said.
From Reuters • Oct. 17, 2022
Undertaking establishments both north, south and west of the river threw open their doors.
From Chicago's Awful Theater Horror by Various
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.
