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
That means stepping into real leadership: delegating, hiring, and letting go of low-value tasks that drain your time. Melissa Houston, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025 The hardest task was animating Jar Jar during the dawn of mocap and computer graphics. Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, Congress tasked the IRS with delivering a report on, among other things, the cost of developing and running a free direct e-file tax return system. Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025 But this month, I was tasked with attempting book tour style. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for task
Recent Examples of Synonyms for task
Noun
  • Sure enough, in early 2024, PJ took a job as an avionics technician at Tinker.
    Jenni Carlson, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
  • The premise alone is perfectly thrilling: Four men take a job driving explosive nitroglycerin over a mountain pass.
    Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • And then there's still a question after that, of meaning and purpose.
    Billy Perrigo, Time, 27 Apr. 2025
  • The two sides talked football on the visit, but the other purpose of bringing him to the Virginia Mason Athletic Center was to learn about the young man under the helmet.
    Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Why should the state be held to a lesser standard than private institutions or organizations, especially when some of the state’s most vulnerable children were entrusted to the state’s care for guidance, treatment and rehabilitation?
    Diana Philip, Baltimore Sun, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Means are entrusted to all of government, but most especially to the Judiciary by the Constitution itself.
    TIME Staff, Time, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Without Australian star players Pat Cummins and Josh Inglis due to Test duties, compatriots Jake Fraser-McGurk and allrounder Cooper Connolly loom as x-factors and drawcards for a Unicorns franchise building around emerging players.
    Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Products from Cambodia would face duties of more than 3,500% because its producers elected not to cooperate with the U.S. probe.
    Nichola Groom, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Coach Scott Arniel likes to refer to him as a Swiss Army knife for his ability to play any role that the coaches ask of him.
    Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Canha is expected to hold a key role in the lineup.
    Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 19 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Five months after Trump touted Vulcan in the Oval Office, the D.O.J. charged the fourteen leaders of MS-13.
    Danielle Mackey, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Of the over 400 sites the NPS manages, 107 typically charge an entrance fee.
    Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Fort Worth Star-Telegram Lillie Davidson is a general assignment reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and a TCU student studying journalism (Go Frogs!).
    Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Weaver seems to be playing some kind of officer in the New Republic in charge of giving Din Djarin assignments.
    Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Other tools can analyze code and generate detailed comments for functions, loops and classes.
    Ken Ringdahl, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Trump was assessed for cognitive function, depression and anxiety.
    Luke Garrett, NPR, 13 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Task.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/task. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

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