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

"When you pair these traits with a landscape that is very rural and difficult to traverse, researching them becomes quite the undertaking," he says.

From Science Daily

"We had two key motivations for undertaking this study," said Dr. Zoë Jewell of Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment, co-author of the article in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.

From Science Daily

But the limits vary widely by state, and grocery executives said that determining which products are food-stamp eligible and which aren’t has become a complex undertaking.

From The Wall Street Journal

The fact that there are three times as many test days as before last season is a reflection of the size of the change the sport is undertaking this season.

From BBC

But as “Hamlet” revivals go, there’s not much insight to be gained from this Herculean undertaking.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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