Definition of tasknext

task

2 of 2

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
However, there are fewer outside resources to help residents with these bureaucratic tasks. — Aaron Bolton, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026 The hardware is gorgeous, the display is dazzling, and the performance is great for productivity tasks. — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
Bryan, tasked with delivering a high-priority package to a city hospital, runs into one nightmare scenario after another. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 28 Sep. 2026 The agency would be tasked with creating safety regulations, a licensing system to approve model training and deployment, frontier AI model audits and setting security standards for continuous testing and effective human control. — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for task
Recent Examples of Synonyms for task
Noun
  • Her first job as CEO in 2014 was to remake the century-old company’s corporate culture and regain customers’ trust following a tragic, reputation-wrecking ignition-switch crisis.
    — Alyson Shontell, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • But when Angus shows up at Johnny’s job and makes fun of him in front of all his corporate-jerk friends, Johnny stands up for himself via a right hook.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The role required Cruise to transform with prosthetics (including a fat suit and thinning white hair) and a put-on Southern accent, but, mostly, the absurdist satire demanded his full acting range.
    — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Maridueña will assume the role of Juan De Marcos through Sunday, January 3, 2027, at Broadway’s Schoenfeld Theatre.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Institutions ensure that responsibility survives the individuals entrusted with it.
    — Walid Chiniara, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The board is entrusted with the educational, physical and financial well-being of the district.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The friendly staff, who wear black uniforms with lettering that identifies their duties add to the hotel’s merry atmosphere.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Building continuous-duty gyrotrons for geothermal drilling could therefore help develop technology needed by both industries.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Unsurprisingly, developers creating single-purpose spaces placed controls on them, and not only racial ones.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Banks support off-balance sheet arrangements, such as special purpose vehicles, between private creditors and hyperscalers, which is raising concerns about systemic stability, especially in light of contractual activations.
    — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • King County prosecutors charged 33 people with crimes for the May 2025 riot at UW.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Joshua Kerry, 28, was charged with preparation of acts of terrorism between May 2024 and July 2026, including against Nigel Farage, the leader of the populist Reform UK party, according to British police and prosecutors.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Roberts saluted Díaz for working hard to get back to an uncertain assignment.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
  • But Brian Stelter, the network’s media analyst, posted on X Friday that CNN had a pool assignment at the National Archives event and that the White House had approved the network’s credentials.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • To find the proof for zeta(3), Apéry sandwiched the function between two infinite series that converged at just the right speed to ensure zeta(3) must be irrational.
    — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The effect is a perfectly personal home for two people who wanted fantasy, but not at the cost of function.
    — Camille Okhio, Architectural Digest, 2 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Task.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/task. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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