task 1 of 2

task

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verb

as in to entrust
to give a task, duty, or responsibility to I have been tasked by the host with bringing the pies for Thanksgiving this year

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun task contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of task are assignment, chore, duty, job, and stint. While all these words 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

When can assignment be used instead of task?

The words assignment and task can be used in similar contexts, but assignment implies a definite limited task assigned by one in authority.

a reporter's assignment

When might chore be a better fit than task?

While in some cases nearly identical to task, chore implies a minor routine activity necessary for maintaining a household or farm.

every child was assigned chores

When would duty be a good substitute for task?

The meanings of duty and task largely overlap; however, duty implies an obligation to perform or responsibility for performance.

the duties of a lifeguard

Where would job be a reasonable alternative to task?

The synonyms job and task are sometimes interchangeable, but job applies to a piece of work voluntarily performed; it may sometimes suggest difficulty or importance.

the job of turning the company around

In what contexts can stint take the place of task?

While the synonyms stint and task are close in meaning, stint implies a carefully allotted or measured quantity of assigned work or service.

a 2-month stint as a reporter

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of task
Noun
These five quick cleaning tasks only take 2-5 minutes each, but the payoff lasts all day. Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Oct. 2025 One of the parliament’s key tasks will be to draft a new constitution for the country and prepare for direct public elections in the next term. Eyad Kourdi, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
Verb
Set in a post-apocalyptic world, ARC Raiders tasks you with scavenging the Earth's dangerous surface for resources while fighting hostile robots and rival human players. Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 4 Oct. 2025 The Federal Election Commission, an independent agency tasked with regulating campaign finance, has lost yet another member. Ashley Lopez, NPR, 4 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for task
Recent Examples of Synonyms for task
Noun
  • The rankings were determined by various factors such as crime rates, public schools, cost of living, job opportunities, health statistics and local amenities, including access to bars and restaurants, according to Niche.
    Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Some employers like Google, Microsoft, and EY have all offered high-level jobs to applicants without degrees, focusing on work experience and special credentialing.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The description herein is a summary and intended for informational purposes only and does not include all terms, conditions and exclusions of the policies described.
    David McMillin, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Each piece was weathered and color-coded to signal hierarchy and purpose, grounding the film’s grand concept of a migrating Earth into reality.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Taking the creative helm of Chanel as only the fourth artistic director to ever lead the house, Blazy has been entrusted with one of the biggest and most sought-after — although perhaps not the most challenging — jobs in fashion.
    Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The owner who hasn’t won a playoff game since buying majority interest in January 2009, the owner who should never have entrusted Grier with the 2025 draft and certainly shouldn’t entrust him with another one.
    Barry Jackson Updated October 7, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • All active-duty personnel stay on the job, but nearly half of the Department of War's 741,477 civilian employees could face furloughs.
    Joey Garrison, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Arenas was on duty staffing an ambulance in the city that morning when reports came in of people trapped inside a building that was on fire.
    Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • On Wednesday, Trotz claimed forward Tyson Jost off waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes, but Evangelista also is expected to fill a key middle-of-the-lineup role for Nashville.
    Eric Stephens, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Vought, who helped write the policy blueprint known as Project 2025, is playing a major role during the shutdown, including on decisions over whether there are mass layoffs of federal employees instead of furloughs and what funding is cut and what is allowed to flow.
    Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The story of a Louisville man charged in connection to the murder of his fiancée had not fully unraveled when he was acquitted in 1991.
    Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Stryker also faces a charge of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18 and Sonneman is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon.
    Cathy Kozlowicz, jsonline.com, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • This story was edited by general assignment editor Carol Ritchie and managing editor Vickie Walton-James.
    Rachel Treisman, NPR, 8 Oct. 2025
  • While on assignment, CIA Case Officer Erica Ambler (Biel) suffers a devastating injury, waking up without her memories in custody at a supermax prison for the world’s deadliest spies.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Currently, all treatments are supportive, meaning the child is treated with antibiotics while doctors deal with the abnormal immune responses and wait for the return of normal function.
    Dr. Marc Siegel , Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Or the function of interpretation.
    Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Task.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/task. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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