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

Multiple security officials across Europe describe a threat that is metastasizing as Russian agents, increasingly under scrutiny by security services and frustrated in their own operations, hire local amateurs to undertake high-risk, and often deniable, crimes on their behalf. —Tara John, CNN, 4 Nov. 2024

Our adversaries like Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are working closer together than ever before and appear far more willing to undertake acts of aggression. —Pat Fallon, National Review, 3 Nov. 2024

Usually, this data training is undertaken by scanning vast amounts of text found on the Internet, including essays, stories, narratives, poems, and so on. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024

There’s a growing sense of pride and identity that resonates globally and challenges the idea of where the world’s best cocktails come from. – Laura Hernández, founder of La Sala de Laura Zest, in the Gangnam district of Seoul, has undertaken the goal of creating an explicitly Korean cocktail bar. —Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 2 Nov. 2024

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