Showing results for "undertaking"

• present participle of undertake.

undertaking

American  

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

noun

• undertakings
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• undertakings
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of undertaking

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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

undertaking undertakings

"This is going to be really difficult for me personally, 100%," acknowledged Evans, who is undertaking his second challenge for the BBC charity fundraiser, following his 24-hour drumathon challenge back in 2021.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

He said the undertaking took an emotional and physical toll.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

The commenter had spent considerable time walking delivery workers through specialty aisles and negotiating alternatives, an especially frustrating undertaking when dietary restrictions were involved.

From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026

"Reconstructing the lives of extinct life forms in a scientifically rigorous way, as opposed to just telling stories, is a precise and delicate undertaking," said Bhart-Anjan Bhullar, senior author of the study.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026

Eradication there would be a formidable undertaking, considering the vast areas involved and the probability of re-invasion from Mexico.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

If it is satisfied that the undertakings address its concerns, it will conditionally clear the deal, the regulator said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

"Ofwat has formally accepted an enforceable package of undertakings from Severn Trent Water to ensure the company returns to compliance," a spokesperson said.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

They need to be able to talk with customers, assess the ethics of new undertakings and prototype projects with a design-oriented mindset.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 11, 2026

"Recent decisions were bound by certain undertakings and my resignation enables the Adelaide Festival, as an organisation, to refresh its leadership and its approach to these circumstances," she said.

From Barron's ● Jan. 12, 2026

That discovery excited him much more than any of his other harebrained undertakings.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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Related Words

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

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