task

American  

[task, tahsk] / tæsk, tɑsk /

noun

1. a definite piece of work assigned to, falling to, or expected of a person; duty.

   Synonyms:

   assignment, job

2. any piece of work.

   Synonyms:

   assignment, job

3. a matter of considerable labor or difficulty.

4. Obsolete. a tax or impost.

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verb (used with object)

1. to subject to severe or excessive labor or exertion; put a strain upon (powers, resources, etc.).

2. to impose a task on.

3. Obsolete. to tax.

adjective

1. of or relating to a task or tasks.

   A task chart will help organize the department's work.

idioms

1. take to task, to call to account; blame; censure.

   The teacher took them to task for not doing their homework.

task British  

/ tɑːsk /

noun

1. a specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or chore

2. an unpleasant or difficult job or duty

3. any piece of work

4. to criticize or reprove

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verb

1. to assign a task to

2. to subject to severe strain; tax

task More Idioms  

1. see take to task.

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Related Words

Task, chore, job, assignment refer to a definite and specific instance or act of work. Task and chore and, to a lesser extent, job often imply work that is tiresome, arduous, or otherwise unpleasant. Task usually refers to a clearly defined piece of work, sometimes of short or limited duration, assigned to or expected of a person: the task of pacifying angry customers; a difficult, time-consuming task. A chore is a minor task, usually one of several performed as part of a routine, as in farming, and often more tedious than difficult: the daily chore of taking out the garbage; early morning chores of feeding the livestock. Job is the most general of these terms, referring to almost any work or responsibility, including a person's means of earning a living: the job of washing the windows; a well-paying job in advertising. Assignment refers to a specific task allocated to a person by someone in a position of authority: a homework assignment; a reporter's assignment to cover international news.

Other Word Forms

• subtask noun
• tasker noun
• taskless adjective
• untasked adjective

Etymology

Origin of task

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun, from Medieval Latin tasca, variant of taxa tax ( def. )

Example Sentences

So I felt like my task in my mind was always to do something different and run away from the idea of just showing my own self really.

From Los Angeles Times

Last spring, Realtor Teresa Fuller saw signs that the epic task of rebuilding Altadena could be a local affair, with potential buyers wanting to place a bet on the community’s future.

From Los Angeles Times

If people are free to use the time savings to exercise, get outside or enjoy an extra day off, that could be even better than taking pseudo breaks on mundane work tasks.

From The Wall Street Journal

One of its first tasks will be to convince doctors that home infusions are safe, effective and a valuable addition to their practice.

From The Wall Street Journal

Beyond market conditions, they are keeping a close eye on how AI is performing in automating routine security processes, while strategically deploying AI to handle repetitive tasks like threat detection and alert correlation, Reck said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• assignment
• burden
• business
• duty
• effort
• exercise
• function
• project
• responsibility
• undertaking
• work