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.
-
to promise, agree, or obligate oneself (followed by an infinitive).
The married couple undertook to love, honor, and cherish each other.
-
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
-
undertakessimple
-
have undertakenperfect
-
has undertakenperfect
-
am undertakingprogressive
-
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:
Foreign nationals cannot sit China's bar exam, although they can undertake certain legal work at Chinese law firms.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
BAS, which led this new research, says it is "one of the most extreme places in the world to undertake fieldwork".
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Able-bodied South Korean males are usually required to undertake between 18 and 21 months of military service before the age of 28.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Modern European and American eels undertake extraordinary migrations, traveling thousands of kilometers from freshwater rivers to reproduce in the Sargasso Sea.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
My friends, this is much; it is a terrible task that we undertake, and there may be consequence to make the brave shudder.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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 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
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
The United States undertakes that, in light of the progress of negotiations towards a final agreement, frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be released and made fully available.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 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
In all, she undertook three spacewalks on August 18 and 25, and September 1.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Prosecutors charged Linton under an “implied malice” theory, meaning Linton is guilty if she knew her actions were dangerous to human life but undertook them anyway.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
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
TOKYO—Japan spent a record $98.7 billion to prop up the yen in the past month, as it undertook rare coordinated action with the U.S. to stabilize the currency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
After all the trouble and risk we undertook to get the money, it became useless.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
Harris said this has only been possible because organisations, including the Wildlife Trusts, have undertaken years of pollution clean up from legacy industry in the area.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
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
"The charitable work of the duke and duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity. In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests."
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
Indeed, the procedure undertaken borders on the doubtful.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
The Department of Homeland Security called the undertaking the “largest DHS operation ever” earlier this year on X, with an estimated 2,000 agents deployed to the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
The symphony, unlike this straightforward dish, is said to be an exhausting undertaking, testing the limits of both an orchestra and conductor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust said it was undertaking a "thorough investigation" and it would be "inappropriate to reach conclusions before those enquiries are complete".
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
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
But running wasn’t exclusively an affair of the spirit; it was a competitive undertaking as well.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
