undertaking

American  

[uhn-der-tey-king, uhn-der-tey-, uhn-der-tey-king] / ˌʌn dərˈteɪ kɪŋ, ˈʌn dərˌteɪ-, ˈʌn dərˌteɪ kɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person who undertakes any task or responsibility.

2. a task, enterprise, etc., undertaken.

   Synonyms:

   venture, effort, job, endeavor, project

3. a promise; pledge; guarantee.

4. the business of an undertaker or funeral director.

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undertaking British  

/ ˈʌndəˌteɪkɪŋ /

noun

1. something undertaken; task, venture, or enterprise

2. an agreement to do something

3. the business of an undertaker

4. informal the practice of overtaking on an inner lane a vehicle which is travelling in an outer lane

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Etymology

Origin of undertaking

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; under, taking

Example Sentences

He said designing the turbine, which kept as much of the original jet engine features as possible, was a roughly 18-month undertaking.

From The Wall Street Journal

“To ensure greater resiliency in uncertain times, Canada is also undertaking efforts to diversify and build new defense-industrial relationships.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Either option would be a significant undertaking for Tesla, which plans to reach its target by the end of 2028, according to a job posting.

From MarketWatch

The party is undertaking an investigation and Lord Doyle's Labour whip in the House of Lords has been withdrawn while this is ongoing.

From BBC

The show, airing live on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for a five-week run that concludes Feb. 17, is a novel undertaking for the streaming giant.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• affair
• effort
• enterprise
• experiment
• operation
• project
• proposition
• task
• venture