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

  1. undertake, set about, attemptverb

    enter upon an activity or enterprise

  2. undertake, tackle, take onverb

    accept as a challenge

    "I'll tackle this difficult task"

  3. undertake, guaranteeverb

    promise to do or accomplish

    "guarantee to free the prisoners"

  4. contract, undertakeverb

    enter into a contractual arrangement

  5. undertake, take in chargeverb

    accept as a charge

Wiktionary

  1. undertakeverb

    To take upon oneself; to start, to embark on (a specific task etc.).

    He undertook a course of medication.

  2. undertakeverb

    To commit oneself (to an obligation, activity etc.).

    He undertook to exercise more in future.

  3. undertakeverb

    to overtake on the wrong side.

    I hate people who try and undertake on the motorway.

  4. undertakeverb

    To pledge; to assert, assure; to dare say.

  5. undertakeverb

    To take by trickery; to trap, to seize upon.

  6. Etymology: From undertaken, equivalent to (after undernim).

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. 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.

  2. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  2. 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

  3. Undertakeverb

    hence, to guarantee; to promise; to affirm

  4. Undertakeverb

    to assume, as a character

  5. Undertakeverb

    to engage with; to attack

  6. Undertakeverb

    to have knowledge of; to hear

  7. Undertakeverb

    to take or have the charge of

  8. Undertakeverb

    to take upon one's self, or assume, any business, duty, or province

  9. Undertakeverb

    to venture; to hazard

  10. Undertakeverb

    to give a promise or guarantee; to be surety

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. 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.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Verbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'undertake' in Verbs Frequency: #346

How to pronounce undertake?

How to say undertake in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of undertake in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of undertake in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of undertake in a Sentence

  1. Jimmy Carter:

    If I were just 80 years old, if I was 15 years younger, I don't believe I could undertake the duties I experienced when I was President.

  2. State John Kerry:

    The government of Iraq was of course briefed in advance of Secretary Carter's announcement, we will continue to work very, very closely with our Iraqi partners on exactly who would be deployed, where they would be deployed, what kinds of missions people would undertake, how they would support Iraqi efforts to degrade and destroy ISIL.

  3. Historical Association:

    Most projects we undertake, particularly major acquisitions, require the support of -- or the ideas of -- each first lady, we are just beginning our work with the Bidens and I'm sure they will undertake important projects as all others have.

  4. The US:

    We don't think the Turks ought to undertake military action that's not fully coordinated with and agreed to by The US at a minimum so they don't endanger our troops -- but also so that they meet the President's requirement that the Syrian opposition forces that have fought with us are not endangered.

  5. David Bernick:

    As the full historical record is now becoming known, it is clear that Richard Sackler supported Purdue's action plan for responding to the increasing evidence of widespread OxyContin abuse and diversion, that plan not only included cooperating with and following the instructions of public health authorities, but it went further to voluntarily undertake extensive efforts to prevent abuse and diversion of prescription opioids.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

undertake#1#9347#10000

Translations for undertake

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"undertake." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/undertake>.

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