Dictionary.com

errand

[ er-uhnd ]
/ ˈɛr ənd /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: errand / errands on Thesaurus.com

noun
a short and quick trip to accomplish a specific purpose, as to buy something, deliver a package, or convey a message, often for someone else.
the purpose of such a trip: He finished his errands.
a special mission or function entrusted to a messenger; commission.
QUIZ
ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ
There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!
Question 1 of 7
True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

Origin of errand

before 900; Middle English erande,Old English ærende; cognate with Old High German āruntī; compare Old English ār messenger, Gothic airus
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use errand in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for errand

errand
/ (ˈɛrənd) /

noun
a short trip undertaken to perform a necessary task or commission (esp in the phrase run errands)
the purpose or object of such a trip

Word Origin for errand

Old English ǣrende; related to ār messenger, Old Norse erendi message, Old High German ārunti, Swedish ärende
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with errand

errand

see fool's errand; run an errand.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
FEEDBACK