undertake
Americanverb (used with object)
-
undertakes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
undertook,
past
-
undertaken,
past participle
-
undertaking
present participle
-
to take upon oneself, as a task, performance, etc.; attempt.
She undertook the job of answering all the mail.
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to promise, agree, or obligate oneself (followed by an infinitive).
The married couple undertook to love, honor, and cherish each other.
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to warrant or guarantee (followed by a clause).
The sponsors undertake that their candidate meets all the requirements.
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to take in charge; assume the duty of attending to.
The lawyer undertook a new case.
verb (used without object)
-
undertakes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
undertook,
past
-
undertaken,
past participle
-
undertaking
present participle
verb
-
(tr) to contract to or commit oneself to (something) or (to do something)
to undertake a job
to undertake to deliver the goods
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(tr) to attempt to; agree to start
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(tr) to take (someone) in charge
-
archaic to make oneself responsible (for)
-
(tr) to promise
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
undertakesimple
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undertakessimple
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have undertakenperfect
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has undertakenperfect
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am undertakingprogressive
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are undertakingprogressive
-
is undertakingprogressive
-
have been undertakingperfect progressive
-
has been undertakingperfect progressive
Past
-
undertooksimple
-
had undertakenperfect
-
was undertakingprogressive
-
were undertakingprogressive
-
had been undertakingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing undertake
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Franklin D. Roosevelt, "A Date That Will Live In Infamy" (1941)
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The Mayflower Compact (1620)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"As soon as the minister was made aware of these issues, she instructed the director general of the Northern Ireland Prison Service to undertake an urgent investigation into these matters."
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Rivas wanted reassurance that district staff had made sure that these projects are the right ones to undertake.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
If a new queen survives until her first brood emerges as adult workers, though, then the odds are in her favour as she no longer needs to undertake risky foraging.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
"The oil sector is only one part of the immense reconstruction we must undertake in Venezuela," she said in a video statement.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
It seems increasingly likely that I really will undertake the expedition that has been preoccupying my imagination now for some days.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
Unitree’s humanoid robots can walk, run and climb and “can imitate & reinforce the learning drive” said the company, referring to algorithms that train the robot’s artificial intelligence as it undertakes tasks.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
The United States also undertakes to withdraw its forces from the surrounding areas within 30 days after the final agreement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
The eleventh point of the document notes that the US "undertakes to make fully available frozen or restricted funds" once the MoU is signed and that procedures will be agreed upon during negotiations.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
Every night, he reads murder mysteries to them, a ritual he undertakes primarily for his own pleasure.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
“I can answer for every thing of that nature, sir, because it will be under Mrs. Weston’s care. Mrs. Weston undertakes to direct the whole.”
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
Concern stems from recent reports that Anthropic blocked use of AI tools to develop bioweapons and that swarms of AI bots autonomously undertook massive hacking operations.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
The Chinese operation also undertook a campaign of mass reporting and bot-network amplification against journalists from the Uyghur diaspora, according to Anthropic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
"We undertook this study to determine if vanillin, a flavor chemical often used in e-cigarettes at high concentrations, could adversely affect the development of young embryos in humans."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 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
An industrial firm recently undertook to find out just how few.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
That revision was undertaken with analytical rigor: The process took two years, involved 35 agencies, incorporated extensive new and existing research, and elicited over 20,000 comments.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
The Times’ reporting on restraining orders was undertaken as part of the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism’s Domestic Violence Impact Reporting Fund and engagement initiative.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Jailed since 2021, Chow has undertaken a hunger strike every June to commemorate the 1989 anniversary.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
The owner of a nearby shop told news agency ANI that it was under a 100-year lease and that the leaseholder had undertaken excavation work in the basement to increase their income.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
He admits to knowing about the day, but nothing about the advertising techniques undertaken by some of his flock.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
Enter Reinsve and Stan, an ideal pair of leads capable of providing the understated, baseline emotion that Mungiu requires to pull off an undertaking as tricky as “Fjord.”
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
“Student housing is a new undertaking for LACCD, and the District is learning from each step of this work,” Hidalgo said in an email.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
For one thing, acquiring the myriad permits needed from federal, state and local governments would be a major undertaking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
"Being able to put this new community supermarket in the heart of Chatham... is fantastic and will undoubtedly support the wider work we are undertaking," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
It was not the path that Reggie had once idealized, but it was a clear direction and one he was undertaking with typical, quiet resolve.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
