undertake

verb

un·​der·​take ˌən-dər-ˈtāk 

undertook ˌən-dər-ˈtu̇k  ; undertaken 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

—often followed by to + a verb

He undertook to raise his sister's children.

3

: guarantee, promise

… readily undertook that the letter should be securely conveyed …

—Sir Walter Scott

intransitive verb

archaic : to give surety or assume responsibility

Synonyms of undertake

• accept
• assume
• shoulder

Examples of undertake in a Sentence

He's undertaking a thorough search.

The researchers undertook a series of studies.

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s an urge to reconnect with our heritage, and people are undertaking ancestry pilgrimages, combining boots-on-the-ground investigation into family trees and searching for documents in town halls, with discovering the places our ancestors used to call home. —Alex Ledsom, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

The artist journey of Csndra, whose real name is Cassandra Jolie Garcia, officially began in 2017 while undertaking vocal training. —Deasia Paige, AJC.com, 28 Jan. 2026

With no world-ending jeopardy but plenty of personal stakes, the show tells of a struggling actor, Simon Williams (Abdul-Mateen), vying for his dream role, that of Wonder Man, after an arty European director undertakes a remake. —Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 28 Jan. 2026

To conduct these assessments, the team undertook over 30 flights, each lasting no more than seven minutes, the limit of the drone battery. —Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 27 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for undertake

• overtake
• rattlesnake
• shiitake
• wapentake
• ache
• ake
• bake
• brake
• break
• cake
• craik
• crake

Kids Definition

undertake

verb

un·​der·​take ˌən-dər-ˈtāk 

undertook -ˈtu̇k  ; undertaken -ˈtā-kən  ; undertaking

1

: to take upon oneself as a task : enter upon

undertake a journey

2

: to take on as a duty : agree, contract

undertake to deliver a package