errand

[er-uhnd]

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

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of errand¹

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. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of errand¹

Old English ǣrende; related to ār messenger, Old Norse erendi message, Old High German ārunti, Swedish ärende

Idioms and Phrases

see fool's errand; run an errand.

Example Sentences

They will meet in a temporary lakeside stadium, where the home team is averaging 10,835 fans per game and a vile wind can make throwing the football a fool’s errand.

From Los Angeles Times

Minguela rarely went out, leaving the house only for work and errands.

From Los Angeles Times

It's easy to fill your diary with back-to-back commitments - meetings, social events, errands and daily tasks - without leaving any breathing room.

From BBC

There are perks to living in America’s songwriting capital — like a slower pace of life and the ability to do “more errands per day than in L.A.,” he says with a laugh.

From Los Angeles Times

Because he was undocumented, he rarely went out, leaving the house only for work and errands.

From Los Angeles Times