What does undertake mean?
Definitions for undertake
ˌʌn dərˈteɪkun·der·take
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word undertake.
Princeton's WordNet
undertake, set about, attemptverb
enter upon an activity or enterprise
undertake, tackle, take onverb
accept as a challenge
"I'll tackle this difficult task"
undertake, guaranteeverb
promise to do or accomplish
"guarantee to free the prisoners"
contract, undertakeverb
enter into a contractual arrangement
undertake, take in chargeverb
accept as a charge
Wiktionary
undertakeverb
To take upon oneself; to start, to embark on (a specific task etc.).
He undertook a course of medication.
undertakeverb
To commit oneself (to an obligation, activity etc.).
He undertook to exercise more in future.
undertakeverb
to overtake on the wrong side.
I hate people who try and undertake on the motorway.
undertakeverb
To pledge; to assert, assure; to dare say.
undertakeverb
To take by trickery; to trap, to seize upon.
Etymology: From undertaken, equivalent to (after undernim).
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
To Undertakeverb
preterite undertook; participle passive undertaken.
Etymology: underfangen, German.
The task he undertakes
Is numbring sands, and drinking oceans dry. William Shakespeare.Hence our gen’rous emulation came;
We undertook, and we perform’d the same. Wentworth Dillon.Fiercer than cannon, and than rocks more hard,
The English undertake th’ unequal war. Dryden.Of dangers undertaken, fame atchiev’d,
They talk by turns. Dryden.His name and credit shall you undertake,
And in my house you shall be friendly lodg’d. William Shakespeare.It is not fit your lordship should undertake every companion, that you give offence to. William Shakespeare, Cymbeline.
You’ll undertake her no more? William Shakespeare.
To th’ waterside I must conduct your grace,
Then give my charge up to Sir Nicholas Vaux,
Who undertakes you to your end. William Shakespeare, Hen. VIII.To Undertakeverb
O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me. Isa. xxxviii. 34.
I undertook alone to wing th’ abyss. John Milton.
It is the cowish terror of his spirit,
That dare not undertake. William Shakespeare, K. Lear.If the curious search the hills after rains, I dare undertake they will not lose their labour. John Woodward, Nat. Hist.
ChatGPT
undertake
To undertake is to commit oneself to a certain task, project or responsibility, or to embark on doing something, usually implying significant effort, planning, and intention. It often involves accepting responsibility for the end result.
Webster Dictionary
Undertakeverb
to take upon one's self; to engage in; to enter upon; to take in hand; to begin to perform; to set about; to attempt
Undertakeverb
specifically, to take upon one's self solemnly or expressly; to lay one's self under obligation, or to enter into stipulations, to perform or to execute; to covenant; to contract
Undertakeverb
hence, to guarantee; to promise; to affirm
Undertakeverb
to assume, as a character
Undertakeverb
to engage with; to attack
Undertakeverb
to have knowledge of; to hear
Undertakeverb
to take or have the charge of
Undertakeverb
to take upon one's self, or assume, any business, duty, or province
Undertakeverb
to venture; to hazard
Undertakeverb
to give a promise or guarantee; to be surety
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Undertake
un-dėr-tāk′, v.t. to take under one's management: to take upon one's self: to attempt: to answer for, warrant: to take in, understand: to assume, to have charge of.—v.i. to take upon one's self: to be bound: to manage all the arrangements of a burial.—adj. Undertā′kable, capable of being undertaken.—ns. Undertā′ker, one who undertakes, a projector, a contractor: one who is surety or guarantee for another: one who manages funerals: formerly a contractor for the royal revenue in England, one of those who undertook to manage the House of Commons for the king in the 'Addled Parliament' of 1614: one of the English and Scotch settlers in Ireland on forfeited lands in the 16th century; Undertā′king, that which is undertaken: any business or project engaged in.
British National Corpus
Verbs Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'undertake' in Verbs Frequency: #346
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of undertake in Chaldean Numerology is: 7
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of undertake in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9
Examples of undertake in a Sentence
There can be no great courage where there is no confidence or assurance, and half the battle is in the conviction that we can do what we undertake.
I would not allow CIA to undertake activity that I thought was immoral, even if it was technically legal. I would absolutely not permit it, cIA must undertake activities that are consistent with American values. America is looked at all over the world as an example to everyone else in the world and we have to uphold that.
We did not have the time or the appetite to undertake the large amount of investment needed to restore competitiveness to the population health space.
The agency has yet to identify any legal basis for withholding these documents. The Committee intends to use all tools at its disposal to undertake its Constitutionally-mandated oversight responsibilities.
Given the long reach of U.S. sanctions, there is a risk assessment that any prudent multinational company will need to undertake any time they do business with KAA and any of its subsidiaries.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for undertake
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- قامArabic
- emprendreCatalan, Valencian
- ausführen, unternehmen, verpflichtenGerman
- entrepreniEsperanto
- emprender, comprometerseSpanish
- ryhtyä, ruvetaFinnish
- entreprendreFrench
- आरंभ करनाHindi
- intraprendereItalian
- 取り掛かるJapanese
- 맡다Korean
- adeoLatin
- ondernemenDutch
- empreenderPortuguese
- întreprindeRomanian
- предпринять, предпринимать, ручаться, поручитьсяRussian
- girişmek, üstlenmekTurkish
Get even more translations for undertake »
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"undertake." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/undertake>.
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