task

[task, tahsk]

noun

1. a definite piece of work assigned to, falling to, or expected of a person; duty.

   Synonyms: assignment, job

2. any piece of work.

   Synonyms: assignment, job

3. a matter of considerable labor or difficulty.

4. Obsolete.,  a tax or impost.

verb (used with object)

1. to subject to severe or excessive labor or exertion; put a strain upon (powers, resources, etc.).

2. to impose a task on.

3. Obsolete.,  to tax.

adjective

1. of or relating to a task or tasks.

   A task chart will help organize the department's work.

task

/ tɑːsk /

noun

1. a specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or chore

2. an unpleasant or difficult job or duty

3. any piece of work

4. to criticize or reprove

verb

1. to assign a task to

2. to subject to severe strain; tax

Other Word Forms

• tasker noun
• taskless adjective
• subtask noun
• untasked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of task¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun, from Medieval Latin tasca, variant of taxa tax ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of task¹

C13: from Old French tasche, from Medieval Latin tasca, from taxa tax, from Latin taxāre to _tax

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. take to task, to call to account; blame; censure.

   The teacher took them to task for not doing their homework.

see take to task.

Synonym Study

Task, chore, job, assignment refer to a definite and specific instance or act of work. Task and chore and, to a lesser extent, job often imply work that is tiresome, arduous, or otherwise unpleasant. Task usually refers to a clearly defined piece of work, sometimes of short or limited duration, assigned to or expected of a person: the task of pacifying angry customers; a difficult, time-consuming task. A chore is a minor task, usually one of several performed as part of a routine, as in farming, and often more tedious than difficult: the daily chore of taking out the garbage; early morning chores of feeding the livestock. Job is the most general of these terms, referring to almost any work or responsibility, including a person's means of earning a living: the job of washing the windows; a well-paying job in advertising. Assignment refers to a specific task allocated to a person by someone in a position of authority: a homework assignment; a reporter's assignment to cover international news.

Example Sentences

For someone to get you so effortlessly that even the mundane task of grocery shopping feels comforting is an anti-loneliness gift from the universe.

From Los Angeles Times

As Sonia Silva prepared to leave work on Wednesday evening, she was asked by a colleague to help with a quick task.

From BBC

Mark Ruffalo plays FBI agent Tom Brandis, who forms a task force to apprehend a group of criminals as they carry out a string of violent robberies targeting drug houses.

From Los Angeles Times

Byers, speaking on info from his sources, said that Ellison “plans to give Bari a role at CBS News that would… task his fellow Millennial with guiding the editorial direction of the division.”

From Salon

He warned that without a deal Moscow was prepared to "resolve all our tasks militarily".

From BBC

Related Words

• assignment 
• burden 
• business 
• duty 
• effort 
• exercise 
• function 
• project 
• responsibility 
• undertaking 
• work