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)

tasks, present (3rd person singular) tasked, past participle, past tasking present participle

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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Synonym Usage

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

Derived Forms

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

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has tasked
  perfect 3rd person singular
• has been tasking
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• have tasked
  perfect
• are tasking
  progressive
• is tasking
  progressive 3rd person singular
• am tasking
  progressive 1st person singular
• tasks
  singular 3rd person
• have been tasking
  perfect progressive
• tasking
  participle

Past

• had tasked
  perfect
• had been tasking
  perfect progressive
• were tasking
  progressive plural
• was tasking
  progressive singular
• tasked
  simple
• tasked
  participle

Future

• will task
  simple
• will have tasked
  perfect
• will have been tasking
  perfect progressive
• will be tasking
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of task

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

Explanation

A task can be big or small, easy or really hard — but it's never more than a job that needs to get done. Chop chop! There's a task that needs completing, and you're just the person for the job. If you're smart though, you'll figure out a way to task someone else with it, or assign it elsewhere. Task comes to us all the way from the Latin word taxare, which in its earliest days meant "to impose a tax on." So much like the filling out of your tax forms, most tasks are considered chores.

Example Sentences

Others question whether the City Council is up to the task of overseeing the department of roughly 8,600 officers and 3,600 civilians.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026

S&P Global Market Intelligence told MarketWatch it’s been working with some of SpaceX’s underwriters to make sure the platform it uses to efficiently coordinate orders during an IPO is up to the task.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026

The eurozone’s economy contracted in the first quarter, driven by declines in output in Ireland and France, complicating the European Central Bank’s task as it seeks to cool rising inflation without unduly damaging economic activity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

But finding areas of land to recreate lost salt marsh on a large scale is a near impossible task on an already crowded coast line.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

Quietly, she cleared her throat and did a few limbering-up exercises in preparation for her task.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

Related Words

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