undertaking
Americannoun
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the act of a person who undertakes any task or responsibility.
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a task, enterprise, etc., undertaken.
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a promise; pledge; guarantee.
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the business of an undertaker or funeral director.
noun
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something undertaken; task, venture, or enterprise
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an agreement to do something
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the business of an undertaker
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informal the practice of overtaking on an inner lane a vehicle which is travelling in an outer lane
Etymology
Origin of undertaking
Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at under, taking
Explanation
Painting a house is a serious undertaking––it looks simple but involves a lot of preparation and hard work. An undertaking is a job or a task you commit to. The word also can mean the profession of funeral management. When you take something under consideration, it means you're not necessarily going to do it, you're just going to think about it. When you take something on, you've undertaken to actually do it. The word undertaking suggests something that involves quite a bit of work. Organizing an Oxfam hunger-day at your school is a significant undertaking, but it's worth all the effort.
Vocabulary lists containing undertaking
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The Giver
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Can I Work It? Words for "Job"
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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.
Moving a six-ton stone over such a vast distance would have been an enormous undertaking for Neolithic communities.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
To compete with the upstarts, DraftKings and its closest competitor, Flutter-owned FanDuel, each launched their own prediction markets—no small undertaking.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
“We are undertaking one of the largest industrial programs in Norway for many decades,” said Pal Eitrheim, Statkraft’s Executive Vice President for Nordics.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
Cochrane was cast following a massive undertaking by HBO to find young actors for the show.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
Would I, in whatever endeavors I ended up undertaking in America, succeed, and would I do so nobly?
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
