undertake
verb
un·der·take
ˌən-dər-ˈtāk 
undertook
ˌən-dər-ˈtu̇k
; undertaken
ˌən-dər-ˈtā-kən
; undertaking
; undertaken
ˌən-dər-ˈtā-kən
; undertaking
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
archaic
: to give surety or assume responsibility
Examples of undertake in a Sentence
He's undertaking a thorough search.
The researchers undertook a series of studies.
Recent Examples on the Web
In December, the US Coast Guard of Northern California announced that a dead ship tow had been undertaken to move the Aurora to Mare Island, where it would be painstakingly demolished.
—
Tamara Hardingham-Gill, CNN Money, 14 Apr. 2025
Researchers from Australia, the UK, Germany and Canada undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the association between older adults’ fear, or concerns, about falling and the incidence of future falls, and found a link.
—New Atlas, 12 Apr. 2025
But Canada has undertaken a billboard war in the United States, my colleague Billy Witz reports from Pittsburgh.
—Ian Austen, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Much of the infrastructure build-out undertaken by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, the organization that operates Texas’s grid, is concerned with sending more energy to far West Texas for things like data centers and oil and gas production.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for undertake
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.
Tamara Hardingham-Gill, CNN Money, 14 Apr. 2025
Researchers from Australia, the UK, Germany and Canada undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the association between older adults’ fear, or concerns, about falling and the incidence of future falls, and found a link.
—New Atlas, 12 Apr. 2025
But Canada has undertaken a billboard war in the United States, my colleague Billy Witz reports from Pittsburgh.
—Ian Austen, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Much of the infrastructure build-out undertaken by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, the organization that operates Texas’s grid, is concerned with sending more energy to far West Texas for things like data centers and oil and gas production.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for undertake
Cite this Entry
“Undertake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undertake. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
undertake
verb
un·der·take
ˌən-dər-ˈtāk
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share