undertake

American  

[uhn-der-teyk] / ˌʌn dərˈteɪk /

verb (used with object)

• undertakes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• undertook,
  past
• undertaken,
  past participle
• undertaking
  present participle

1. to take upon oneself, as a task, performance, etc.; attempt.

   She undertook the job of answering all the mail.

2. to promise, agree, or obligate oneself (followed by an infinitive).

   The married couple undertook to love, honor, and cherish each other.

3. to warrant or guarantee (followed by a clause).

   The sponsors undertake that their candidate meets all the requirements.

4. to take in charge; assume the duty of attending to.

   The lawyer undertook a new case.

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verb (used without object)

• undertakes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• undertook,
  past
• undertaken,
  past participle
• undertaking
  present participle

1. Archaic. to engage oneself by promise; give a guarantee, or become surety.

undertake British  

/ ˌʌndəˈteɪk /

verb

1. (tr) to contract to or commit oneself to (something) or (to do something)

   to undertake a job

   to undertake to deliver the goods

2. (tr) to attempt to; agree to start

3. (tr) to take (someone) in charge

4. archaic to make oneself responsible (for)

5. (tr) to promise

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preundertake
  verb (used with object)

Inflected Forms

Participles

• undertaking
  present
• undertaken
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• undertake
  simple
• undertakes
  simple
• have undertaken
  perfect
• has undertaken
  perfect
• am undertaking
  progressive
• are undertaking
  progressive
• is undertaking
  progressive
• have been undertaking
  perfect progressive
• has been undertaking
  perfect progressive

Past

• undertook
  simple
• had undertaken
  perfect
• was undertaking
  progressive
• were undertaking
  progressive
• had been undertaking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will undertake
  simple
• will have undertaken
  perfect
• will be undertaking
  progressive
• will have been undertaking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of undertake

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English undertaken; see under-, take

Explanation

When you undertake a task or challenge, you attempt to accomplish it. If you want to undertake a verbal challenge right now, try saying “sushi chef” ten times quickly without messing up. Way back in the 13th century, undertake meant “seize” or “entrap.” Of course, the meaning has shifted significantly since then, and we hope you don’t feel entrapped when you decide to undertake a project. However, undertake does convey a level of commitment and involvement that’s somewhat stronger than the words try or attempt might suggest.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

undertake undertakes undertook undertaken undertaking

In response to the Journal’s earlier reporting, Polymarket said it was “committed to maintaining accurate, fair, and transparent markets” and that it would undertake an audit of its promotional content.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

“When people have access to medical care through insurance, they tend to undertake activities that can help longevity, like better preventive care, better management of chronic and disabling conditions,” Cohen said.

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026

"Our assurance and testing processes are designed to identify and address potential vulnerabilities early, and we continue to undertake routine security activity across our systems and equipment," the MoD added.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Our experiment used photons – quantum particles of light – and the against-the-odds journey they must undertake to pass straight through a cloud of rubidium atoms.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

There might perhaps have been a time to undertake excavations that might have comprehensively settled our outstanding questions about the topography of old Alexandria.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

The visit came as part of Royal Week in Scotland, where the royal family undertakes a series of engagements north of the border.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

The FTC today enforces some 80 statutes that cover “almost every facet of the Nation’s economy, and the tasks it undertakes are ‘the very essence of “execution” of the law,’” the Chief writes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

In the memorandum of understanding, the United States undertakes to "terminate all types of sanctions against" Iran, and to "make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets" of Iran.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

Every night, he reads murder mysteries to them, a ritual he undertakes primarily for his own pleasure.

From Salon ● May 17, 2026

There are normally twelve girls in the house, counting the old ones, a Greek cook, and a man who is known as a watchman but who undertakes all manner of delicate and dangerous tasks.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

At the time of the Observer investigation, publishing house Penguin said it "undertook all the necessary pre-publication due diligence", including a contract with an author warranty about factual accuracy, and a legal read.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Bonehill-Pine said he reformed his previous views when he learned of the murder of MP Jo Cox, and subsequently undertook a de-radicalisation programme.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

In the video individuals are seen from afar putting their hands into the water while workers undertook cleaning work, but it did not clearly show people damaging the pool or depositing anything into it.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

Positioning himself as Rome’s first among equals, Augustus undertook pressing military reforms, cutting the number of legions in half while deploying them for expansion in all directions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

For the sake of his friend, Gwythyr Son of Greidawl undertook to do this.

From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander

"This change continues the work already undertaken by the contest to strengthen safeguarding and protect younger artists from the pressures associated with competing at the Eurovision Song Contest," they added in the statement.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

Crowley and his backers had undertaken an intense late-July sprint to persuade Democrats to coalesce around him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

The Law Society also issued a statement saying it had "undertaken an internal process in relation to this matter".

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

"Considering that arginine is inexpensive and readily available, we hope that therapeutic and preventative studies could be undertaken soon."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026

Of all the reintroductions of all the different species that are undertaken, only a small percentage currently have elaborate training-to-be-wild programs.

From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh

The Takaichi administration is undertaking a major update of the national defence strategy this year in the face of China's expanding military ambitions.

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

Meta is undertaking its own chip program, while Amazon, Google and Microsoft all house their own custom AI chip operations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

The only comparable alternative would involve sending spacecraft directly to another star, an undertaking that would require enormous amounts of time and money.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026

It should have been a relatively straightforward undertaking to navigate from the area where Goforth was riding to the spot where the vehicle was parked, especially for someone familiar with the area, Buelna added.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

“Do you have any medical or undertaking training?”

From "Mississippi Trial, 1955" by Chris Crowe

Related Words

• begin
• commence
• guarantee
• initiate
• launch
• offer
• shoulder
• tackle
• try