undertake

play

verb un·der·take \ ˌən-dər-ˈtāk \

Definition of undertake

undertook play \ˌən-dər-ˈtu̇k\; undertaken play \ˌən-dər-ˈtā-kən\; undertaking

transitive verb

1 :to take upon oneself :set about :attempt

undertake a task

undertake to learn to swim

2 :to put oneself under obligation to perform; also :to accept as a charge or responsibility

the lawyer who undertook the case

3 :guarantee, promise

readily undertook that the letter should be securely conveyed
—Sir Walter Scott

intransitive verb

archaic :to give surety or assume responsibility

See undertake defined for English-language learners

See undertake defined for kids

Examples of undertake in a Sentence

He's undertaking a thorough search.
The researchers undertook a series of studies.

Recent Examples of undertake from the Web

Among the key measures undertaken within efforts to fulfill International Monetary Fund conditions for a $12 billion loan, Egypt devalued and then floated the national currency.

— menna zaki, The Seattle Times, "Egypt curtails access to subsidized food as part of reforms," 9 Aug. 2017
Understandably, the couple got tired of all their time apart, so Dove just undertook a super romantic gesture: flying across the world to see Thomas, Just Jared Jr. reports.

— suzannah weiss, Teen Vogue, "Dove Cameron Flew to Romania to See Thomas Doherty," 5 Aug. 2017
Already, the county system has undertaken wetland mitigation ahead of the project, which was on target to be under construction in early 2018.

— john sharp, AL.com, "Gulf Shores approves city school study," 1 Aug. 2017
The only way to reach the Yazidis was by helicopter, and Vian Dakhil undertook a rescue mission (by helicopter).

— jay nordlinger, National Review, "A Brave Lady’s Fight Against ISIS," 17 July 2017
Their critics see in all this a kind of Jacobinism in which the presumption of innocence is forfeited and the objective is not so much to apply the law as to undertake a crusade to rid Brazil of its political class.

— The Economist, "BelloThe conviction of Lula and the future of Brazil’s political purge," 15 July 2017
Gehrig and his managers, meanwhile, undertook contortions to keep his streak going on several occasions.

— john eisenberg, SI.com, "Comparing six major points of the Lou Gehrig and Cal Ripken Jr. consecutive-games streaks," 4 July 2017
Since its formation in 2007, the Copenhagen City & Port Development authority has managed about half of all the redevelopment projects undertaken in Copenhagen.

— john gallagher, Detroit Free Press, "Lessons for Detroit: Copenhagen unlocks value of public land to create public benefits," 1 July 2017
Now, The Seattle Times again joins with area news organizations to promote informative coverage of the region’s homeless population and the efforts to being undertaken to house and aid them, and to prevent people from becoming homeless.

— vernal coleman, The Seattle Times, "#SeaHomeless: What you need to know about Seattle’s continuing crisis," 27 June 2017

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