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
According to Porcher, gangs previously tasked adults with committing more serious crimes. Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2025 Following the attack, Congress formed the January 6 Committee, a bipartisan entity tasked with investigating what led to the events of the attack. Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for task
Recent Examples of Synonyms for task
Noun
  • Your entire life is tied to your job.
    Anniek Bao, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Some have said the move could have a positive impact on job opportunities.
    John Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Personality and purpose Upon entering the home, the first room one notices is Catherine's spacious office, which sits just to the left of the front door.
    Lennie Omalza, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Oct. 2025
  • While the Sixers theoretically have four centers, one is the brittle Joel Embiid, two are youngsters who haven’t clearly established themselves yet (Adem Bona and Johni Broome) and the other is a near-the-end Andre Drummond, who might also be traded for tax purposes.
    John Hollinger, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • For simple crowd and traffic control situations, our peace officers are entrusted with the discretion needed to ensure safety and order.
    Killian Baarlaer, Louisville Courier Journal, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Wang Jingtao, a deputy director of China’s Cyberspace Administration, said the deal could include methods such as entrusting the operation of TikTok’s US user data and content security services, as well as licensing its algorithms and intellectual property rights.
    Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 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
  • And thankfully, the singles from the capital of Colorado understood the assignment in the pods.
    Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Meanwhile, safeties Jaden Hicks and Chamarri Conner have bounced back from a rough Week 1 to provide some backside oomph and physicality while doing a better job of keeping their assignments.
    Jesse Newell, New York Times, 1 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 6 Oct. 2025.

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