chore

American  

[chawr, chohr] / tʃɔr, tʃoʊr /

noun

1. a small or odd job; routine task.

   Synonyms:

   stint, errand, work, duty

2. chores, the everyday work around a house or farm.

3. a hard or unpleasant task.

   Solving the problem was quite a chore.

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chore ¹ British  

/ tʃɔː /

noun

1. a small routine task, esp a domestic one

2. an unpleasant task

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-chore ² British  

combining form

1. (in botany) indicating a plant distributed by a certain means

   anemochore

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Related Words

See task.

Other Word Forms

• -chorous combining form

Etymology

Origin of chore

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English char, Old English cyrr, variant of cierr, cerr. See char ³

Example Sentences

Cleaning becomes less of a chore and more of a small, sensory pleasure—something I don’t mind returning to, night after night.

From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026

As well, it has tested the efficacy of customer messaging for pet medicine—finding that people don’t consider giving their pets medication a chore, and are looking for services like coordination with veterinarians, Narasimhan said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

For the spouse handling the finances, it might sound like a big chore, but it can actually be a way to put down the mental load.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 10, 2026

It's a chore we all have to do regularly but in 1975 Nationwide went grocery shopping with a couple who bought all their supplies yearly rather than weekly.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026

All day she ran from one chore to another.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Related Words

• assignment
• burden
• duty
• errand
• housework
• routine
• workout