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

In a statement, he also welcomed Suu Kyi's Red Cross meeting, saying he hoped that authorities "will undertake further positive steps towards lasting peace and stability in Myanmar".

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Obviously, not everyone is in a position to undertake this kind of research.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

Point 11 of the MoU detailed that the "United States of America undertakes to make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran".

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

The United States undertakes to issue all necessary permits and licenses on this basis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● 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

Then last week, the DOJ said it was closing the investigation as the Fed’s inspector general undertakes an inquiry into the renovations — though the Justice Department left open the possibility of restarting its probe.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 29, 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

And then in 2017 Disney undertook its biggest ESPN-funded challenge yet, spending many billions to construct a streaming service to directly challenge Netflix—the company’s biggest strategic bet of the decade.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

In 2018, for example, the company undertook a major reorganization of senior management based on the principle of division of labor by comparative advantage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 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

But the following year he undertook his most ambitious challenge yet: setting a record for climbing the 14 peaks in the shortest amount of time.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

The intensity with which the family undertook the defense had a self- perpetuating and escalating force: Reggie denied texting, the family backed him up, and Reggie, never someone to let others down, dug in deeper.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

"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

Although “weeping,” really, is too small a word for the activity that the king had undertaken.

From "The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread" by Kate DiCamillo

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

But now, as the sun poured through the third-floor atrium of the Bloom Center, Riley couldn’t help but point out the symbolism of such an ambitious undertaking actually coming to life.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 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

The human species is now undertaking a great venture that if successful will be as important as the colonization of the land or the descent from the trees.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

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