errand

American  

[er-uhnd] / ˈɛr ənd /

noun

1. 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.

   Synonyms:

   chore, assignment, task, mission

2. the purpose of such a trip.

   He finished his errands.

   Synonyms:

   chore, assignment, task, mission

3. a special mission or function entrusted to a messenger; commission.

---

errand British  

/ ˈɛrənd /

noun

1. a short trip undertaken to perform a necessary task or commission (esp in the phrase run errands )

2. the purpose or object of such a trip

---

errand Idioms  

1. see fool's errand; run an errand.

---

Etymology

Origin of errand

First recorded before 900; Middle English erande, Old English ærende; cognate with Old High German āruntī; compare Old English ār “messenger,” Gothic airus; not related to err ( def. ), errant ( def. )

Example Sentences

She had found him accommodation and ran errands for him, he added.

From BBC

Trying to assign an exact reason to Bitcoin’s collapse can be a fool’s errand, but one risk increasingly cited by short sellers is the rise of quantum computing, S3 said.

From Barron's

Then he said, “I’m just going to run a few errands. Can I pick him up at two o’clock?”

From Literature

And as the residents had gotten to know him, they’d asked him to run errands.

From Literature

“Boo and I will do errands in the morning and be home for lunch. While I’m gone, there will be no going in my room and no badgering Ray.”

From Literature