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

Now social media users are taking Khloé to task for a recent post about losing weight. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Khloé Kardashian's Latest Comments About Losing Weight Have People Pissed," 10 Jan. 2019 Conspiracy theories, drama, and worse abounded on the platform and Google has not been up to the task of dealing with it all. — Dieter Bohn, The Verge, "The Verge 2018 tech report card: Google," 26 Dec. 2018 Going forward, Charter is prohibited from providing subscribers with equipment that can't deliver advertised speeds under typical network conditions and must replace any equipment that isn't up to the task. — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, "Charter users who didn’t get promised speeds will get $75 or $150 refunds," 18 Dec. 2018 Prior to dropping out of the race, Emanuel’s political opponents took him to task for blaming a lack of morals in predominantly black and Hispanic neighborhoods for an uptick in violent crime. — Barnini Chakraborty, Fox News, "Rahm Emanuel leaves behind tainted legacy as Chicago murder rate, crime and corruption surge on his watch," 6 Sep. 2018 Strength of democracy is renewed by reaffirming the principles on which it was founded and America somehow always found leaders who were up to that task particularly at the time of greatest need. — Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, "Read the Full Transcript of George W. Bush's Eulogy for John McCain," 1 Sep. 2018 Sadly, Rae isn't equal to the task of releasing the full power in this material as either a writer or performer. — Jack Helbig, Chicago Reader, "Savanna Rae celebrates the badass women of Irish folklore in Daughters of Ire," 13 July 2018 The rinse seems to counteract fatigue and enhances attention to a task, said David Ferguson, an assistant professor of exercise physiology at Michigan State. — New York Times, "That Spitting Thing at the World Cup? It’s Probably ‘Carb Rinsing’," 11 July 2018 Most of our kids were there most of the time, committed to the task at hand. — Rob Manker, Naperville Sun, "Manker: Lessons learned on ballfield sometimes bring winning and losing into perspective," 5 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The teams would be tasked with flagging troubling conduct, from threatening social media posts to information about students' access to weapons. — Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY, "Secret Service urges U.S. schools to set up 'threat teams' to prevent shootings," 12 July 2018 Once the Corps of Engineers departs, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, known as Prepa, will be tasked with completing unfinished repairs to the power grid. — Frances Robles, New York Times, "FEMA Was Sorely Unprepared for Puerto Rico Hurricane, Report Says," 12 July 2018 Hirshland will be tasked with steering the organization through a pivotal period of change and uncertainty. — Rick Maese, chicagotribune.com, "U.S. Olympic Committee names Sarah Hirshland new CEO," 12 July 2018 But this was also the first public claim from a potential Supreme Court justice who will be tasked with interpreting and parsing the law down to the letter. — Aaron Blake, Washington Post, "Brett Kavanaugh’s first claim as a Supreme Court nominee was bizarre," 10 July 2018 Robillard will be tasked with overseeing security at the 165th fair in July, a year after at least eight fair attendees were arrested and more than 60 were thrown out. — Kellen Browning, sacbee, "Cal Expo has new acting police chief one year after fights marred state fair," 26 June 2018 Hera will be tasked with communicating with ground stations on Earth as well as its smaller satellite companions as a precursor for potential future deep space missions. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "New Spacecraft Will Head to Binary Asteroid to Help Protect the Planet," 25 June 2018 Thurmond and his partner, who would be known as resident officer community keepers, or ROCK cops, would be tasked not with arresting criminals but with treating the underlying conditions that breed crime. — Ben Austen, The New Republic, "How one American city chose to tackle crime, combat racism, and reckon with the legacy of police brutality," 21 June 2018 But his directive will task the Defense Department to begin the process of establishing the 'Space Force' as the sixth branch of the U.S. armed forces. — NBC News, "'Space Force': Trump directs Pentagon to create new military branch," 18 June 2018

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

16 Jan 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