chore
noun
a small or odd job; routine task.
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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:
"If I put a big chore list, I wouldn't expect a five-star review and vice versa – if a guest leaves the place in a state, you're not going to give them a good review."
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
That means finding a few sides that are so appealing, and so low-effort, that adding one more feels less like a chore and more like, “Oh, hell, why not?”
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
But Caroline is a do-it-yourself kind of millennial, so I’ve had to shift gears, and explain how and why a chore should be carried out, and then let Caroline do it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
But with the way they are playing now, identifying four wins on this schedule is a chore.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
“Hurry,” the girl urged after we completed our chore.
From "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina" by Michaela DePrince
She was doing her chores in the dark.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Airbnb adopted new rules to keep checkout chores “reasonable.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
None of the chores that Meta boasts about are beyond the capabilities of most people living in today’s digital world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Still, there’s clearly a lot of resentment among some Christian conservative women about husbands who don’t do chores.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
“I’m sorry,” he said, “what were you saying about Count Olaf? Making you do chores doesn’t sound too bad.”
From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
