task

noun

\ ˈtask

Definition of task

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a usually assigned piece of work often to be finished within a certain time

b : something hard or unpleasant that has to be done

c : duty, function

2 : subjection to adverse criticism : reprimand —used in the expressions to take, call, or bring to task

task

verb

tasked; tasking; tasks

Definition of task (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to assign a task to employees tasked with updating the files

2 : to oppress with great labor tasks his mind with petty details

3 obsolete : to impose a tax on

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about task

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Synonyms for task

Synonyms: Noun

assignment, chore, duty, job

Synonyms: Verb

assign, charge, commission, entrust (also intrust), trust

Choose the Right Synonym for task

Noun

task, duty, job, chore, stint, assignment mean a piece of work to be done. task implies work imposed by a person in authority or an employer or by circumstance. charged with a variety of tasks duty implies an obligation to perform or responsibility for performance. the duties of a lifeguard job applies to a piece of work voluntarily performed; it may sometimes suggest difficulty or importance. the job of turning the company around chore implies a minor routine activity necessary for maintaining a household or farm. every child was assigned chores stint implies a carefully allotted or measured quantity of assigned work or service. a 2-month stint as a reporter assignment implies a definite limited task assigned by one in authority. a reporter's assignment

Noun

task, duty, and job mean a piece of work assigned or to be done. task is used for work given by a person in a position of authority. The boss used to give me every difficult task. duty is used when a person has responsibility to do the work. The duty of police is to protect people. job may mean that the work is necessary, hard, or important. We all have to do our job.

Examples of task in a Sentence

Noun

Our first task is to review the budget. one of my tasks in the morning is to make lunches for everyone in the family

Verb

I have been tasked by the host with bringing the pies for Thanksgiving this year.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Prabal Gurung, Christopher Kane, Altuzarra, Marc Jacobs and many more high fashion brands who have traditionally only provided up to sizes 10 or 12, have all risen to the task of providing extended sizing for the site. — Chrissy Rutherford, Harper's BAZAAR, "Exclusive: A First Look at 11 Honore's NYFW Debut," 6 Feb. 2019 The task is to find someone reasonably agreeable and someone who wants to do the job in a good-faith way. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "House Democrats don’t need a leader, they need someone to represent them on TV," 20 Nov. 2018 Location: New Marlborough, Massachusetts Price: $2,100,000 Renovating a house is no small challenge, but restoring a historic home’s charm—without sacrificing modern amenities—is an even bigger task. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "Perfectly restored estate in the Berkshires wants $2.1M," 22 Oct. 2018 The state institute's task is to investigate and prosecute wartime crimes. — Monika Scislowska, Fox News, "Poland asks to see US documents on deported ex-Nazi guard," 31 Aug. 2018 This week, the task of shutting down LA for a full match will be much tougher. — Dan Shulman, BostonGlobe.com, "Galaxy of stars await Revolution," 14 July 2018 The task for Mrs May and the EU is to ensure that the Brexit project does not descend into anarchy. — The Economist, "A new Brexit plan creates fresh depths of chaos," 12 July 2018 The first task for the group, which meets monthly, was more accurately counting the number of the West Valley's homeless people. — Jessica Boehm, azcentral, "West Valley leans on Phoenix for help with rising homeless population," 1 July 2018 The first task Duplex will undertake will be polling businesses about holiday hours. — Michael Simon, PCWorld, "Google insists its Duplex AI-powered voice calling is real and will prove it, umms and all," 27 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

First up, the women are tasked with pushing a 100-pound wedding cake down the aisle. — Anna Moeslein, Glamour, "The Bachelor Season 23, Episode 3 Recap: Elyse for Bachelorette?," 21 Jan. 2019 What the job is: The caucus chair is tasked with overseeing meetings of the entire Democratic caucus. — Ella Nilsen, Vox, "All the Democrats running for top spots in the House," 15 Nov. 2018 Catra, who stands somewhere between Adora’s best friend, sister, and first love, is tasked with bringing Adora back to the Evil Horde. — Samantha Nelson, The Verge, "Netflix’s She-Ra reboot follows closely in Steven Universe’s footsteps," 8 Nov. 2018 The provinces are tasked with overseeing marijuana distribution. — Gene Johnson, The Seattle Times, "More than 100 pot shops set to open as Canada legalizes weed," 11 Oct. 2018 Among his duties as deputy attorney general, Rosenstein is tasked with handling the day-to-day operations of the Justice Department and overseeing its agencies, including the FBI. — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Fox News, "Rod Rosenstein's Justice Department career highlights dating back to 1990," 24 Sep. 2018 In the video, Noah is tasked with doing nine things he's never done before. — Andrea Park, Teen Vogue, "Noah Centineo Tried Braiding a Fan’s Hair and Used Multiple Face Masks," 21 Sep. 2018 In the video, Centineo is tasked with doing nine things he's never done before. — Andrea Park, Allure, "We Challenged Noah Centineo to Try Our Favorite Beauty Treatments and the Results Are Amazing," 21 Sep. 2018 Jacobsen had been tasked with designing Copenhagen’s Royal Hotel—both the building and everything in it—and this innovative and sculptural chair design was part of that holistic work, intended for the hotel lobby. — Maggie Burch, House Beautiful, "This Is What The Original Egg Chair Looks Like," 16 Jan. 2019

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

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Dictionary Entries near task

task-and-bonus system

task bar

tasker

Statistics for task

Last Updated

13 Feb 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for task

The first known use of task was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for task

task

noun

English Language Learners Definition of task

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a piece of work that has been given to someone : a job for someone to do

task

verb

English Language Learners Definition of task (Entry 2 of 2)

: to assign (someone) a piece of work : to give (someone) a job to do

See the full definition for task in the English Language Learners Dictionary

task

noun

\ ˈtask

Kids Definition of task

: a piece of work that has been assigned, needs to be done, or presents a challenge On Saturdays Claudia emptied the wastebaskets, a task she despised.— E. L. Konigsburg, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

task

noun

\ ˈtask

Medical Definition of task

: the performance that is required of the subject in a psychological experiment or test and that is usually communicated to a human subject by verbal instructions