errand

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noun er·rand \ ˈer-ənd , ˈe-rənd \

Definition of errand

1 archaic

a :an oral message entrusted to a person

b :embassy, mission

2 a :a short trip taken to attend to some business often for another

was on an errand for his mother

b :the object or purpose of such a trip

See errand defined for English-language learners

See errand defined for kids

Examples of errand in a Sentence

He was sent out on an urgent errand.
We were there on an errand of mercy to help provide medical care for the refugees.

Recent Examples of errand from the Web

Does the thought of running errands give you premature heatstroke?

— neal broverman, Los Angeles Magazine, "How to Cool Down a Hot Car in 90 Seconds," 29 Aug. 2017
The hype for Ex Libris reached such a fever pitch before the con even started that getting a demo at the publisher’s perpetually swamped demo booth was a fool’s errand for much of the weekend.

— aaron zimmerman, Ars Technica, "The hottest new board games from Gen Con 2017," 26 Aug. 2017
Nowadays, people need a vehicle as a means of transportation to and from work and for running various errands.

— said ahmed-zaid, idahostatesman, "Islam’s teachings inspire me to become a better person," 28 July 2017
The NOPD asked on Jan. 3 for the public's help locating DeLordo, who reportedly had not been seen since taking his girlfriend's car on an errand on Nov. 1, 2016.

— ken daley, NOLA.com, "Woman indicted for murder of New Orleans man reported missing since November," 29 June 2017
But when Horne offended his bosses by refusing to run a personal errand for the wife of the paper’s owner—checking a train schedule—he was sacked and forced to return to Britain, thus ending his intelligence career as well.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "The Fall of a Foreign-Affairs Reporter," 21 June 2017
Hart was left alone after his wife, Kimberly Hart, went to run errands and another employee had taken a lunch break.

— alicia fabbre, chicagotribune.com, "Parents of infant who died at Lombard home day care to receive $1 million settlement," 20 June 2017
Instead, concierges help out around the house, get their client to appointments, join them for recreation and run small errands.

— liz moyer, charlotteobserver, "Elder concierge: Earning an income while lending a hand," 22 May 2017
And trying to impeach Trump while in the minority is almost definitely a fool's errand.

— aaron blake, Washington Post, "3 big takeaways from Trump’s Russia-classified info blunder," 16 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'errand.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of errand

Middle English erend message, business, from Old English ǣrend; akin to Old High German ārunti message

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

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ERRAND Defined for English Language Learners

errand

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noun

Definition of errand for English Language Learners

: a short journey that you take to do or get something

ERRAND Defined for Kids

errand

play

noun er·rand \ ˈer-ənd \

Definition of errand for Students

1 :a short trip made to do or get something

2 :the purpose of a short trip

My errand was to get milk.

Learn More about errand

See words that rhyme with errand Spanish Central: Translation of errand Nglish: Translation of errand for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of errand for Arabic speakers

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errand

Definition of errand

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Origin and Etymology of errand

ERRAND Defined for English Language Learners

errand

Definition of errand for English Language Learners

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errand

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