undertake

verb

un·​der·​take ˌən-dər-ˈtāk 

undertook ˌən-dər-ˈtu̇k  ; undertaken ˌən-dər-ˈtā-kən  ; undertaking

transitive verb

1

: to take upon oneself : set about : attempt

undertake a task

undertake to learn to swim

2

: to put oneself under obligation to perform

also : to accept as a charge or responsibility

the lawyer who undertook the case

3

: guarantee, promise

readily undertook that the letter should be securely conveyed

—Sir Walter Scott

intransitive verb

archaic : to give surety or assume responsibility

Synonyms

• accept
• assume
• bear
• shoulder
• take over

Examples of undertake in a Sentence

He's undertaking a thorough search.

The researchers undertook a series of studies.

Recent Examples on the Web

The original series was produced by ABC Studios, which was recently absorbed into 20th TV as part of a restructuring undertaken by parent company Disney. —Jennifer Maas, Variety, 16 Feb. 2025

The work—undertaken by remote sensing specialist Marin Govorcin of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California—reveals how vertical land motions can be unpredictable in both scale and speed. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025

At the time, haint blue could be made only by cultivating and processing indigo plants, which was a labor-intensive, often dangerous endeavor undertaken by enslaved workers in antebellum America. —Omari Weekes, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2025

For its latest opening, Union Square Hospitality Group is undertaking a revolution—in the most literal sense of the word. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 12 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

undertake

verb

un·​der·​take ˌən-dər-ˈtāk 

undertook -ˈtu̇k  ; undertaken -ˈtā-kən  ; undertaking

1

: to take upon oneself as a task : enter upon

undertake a journey

2

: to take on as a duty : agree, contract

undertake to deliver a package