task

1 of 2

noun

plural tasks
1
a
: a usually assigned piece of work often to be finished within a certain time
b
: something hard or unpleasant that has to be done
c
2
: subjection to adverse criticism : reprimand
… the state government was called to task for not doing more to help the area around the casinos.Stephanie Powers
In the NFL, coaches often aren't brought to task for their worst decisions even after games.Rodger Sherman
see also take to task

task

2 of 2

verb

tasked; tasking; tasks

transitive verb

1
: to assign a task to
employees tasked with updating the files
2
: to oppress with great labor
tasks his mind with petty details
3
obsolete : to impose a tax on
Choose the Right Synonym for task

task, duty, job, chore, stint, assignment mean a piece of work to be done.

task implies work imposed by a person in authority or an employer or by circumstance.

charged with a variety of tasks

duty implies an obligation to perform or responsibility for performance.

the duties of a lifeguard

job applies to a piece of work voluntarily performed; it may sometimes suggest difficulty or importance.

the job of turning the company around

chore implies a minor routine activity necessary for maintaining a household or farm.

every child was assigned chores

stint implies a carefully allotted or measured quantity of assigned work or service.

a 2-month stint as a reporter

assignment implies a definite limited task assigned by one in authority.

a reporter's assignment

Examples of task in a Sentence

Noun Our first task is to review the budget. one of my tasks in the morning is to make lunches for everyone in the family Verb I have been tasked by the host with bringing the pies for Thanksgiving this year.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Many teams of researchers have tried and failed in the task. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024 When it’s not engaged in any specific task, the brain enters into what’s known as the default network mode, or a period of passive rest, which is responsible for unconscious processing. Georgia Day, Glamour, 8 Mar. 2024 In response, your brain evaluates the positive and negative signals associated with that task. Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 8 Mar. 2024 Workers said they were forced to take on multiple tasks without more pay as their colleagues left and management failed to back-fill positions. Cindy Carcamo, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 The Internship Experience Interns in tax accounting often start with foundational tasks like formatting PDFs, entering numbers into spreadsheets, and importing them into tax software. Bryce Welker, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 His tasks are rote at this point, and his movements are well-practiced and smooth. Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024 But now the central bank is facing the difficult task of balancing the risk of cutting too soon with the risk of cutting too late. Bryan Mena, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 But deciding on a new head coach isn’t Eberl’s only task. Manuel Veth, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
Verb
The crisis recently prompted security officials in Michoacán to form a specialized unit tasked with disposing of bombs. Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 Uvalde report Families of the victims of the May 2022 school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, are furious after an independent investigator tasked with probing the police response cleared all local officers of wrongdoing. Aj Willingham, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 More than half of the 30 authorities tasked with enforcing the bloc’s data rules are led by women, and with sweeping new EU tech regulations now in effect, their roles as watchdogs may expand even further. Stephanie Bodoni, Fortune Europe, 8 Mar. 2024 The Vatican conspiracy thriller, with a screenplay by Peter Straughan and based on Robert Harris’ novel, sees Fiennes play Cardinal Lomeli, tasked with overseeing the cardinals arriving from across the globe to join the conclave. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 After the employees’ complaint to the DOL, Tosh Pork tasked one of them with duties that weren’t a part of her job — including cleaning offices, bathrooms and pig waste — even though she was meant to provide veterinary care to the farm’s pigs, court documents say. Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 The Fab Five were tasked with stepping into a contentious climate to give people of varying backgrounds makeovers, while trying to form authentic emotional connections that didn’t come across as forced. Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024 Ivan Reitman Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Richard Tyson, Carroll Baker, Pamela Reed, Linda Hunt Curtis Hanson’s sprawling noir homage, based on James Ellroy’s wonderful novel, follows three cops (Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, and Kevin Spacey) tasked with solving a murder in the heart of Los Angeles. EW.com, 2 Mar. 2024 The Federal Aviation Administration has published a final report by an Organization Designation Authorization Expert Review Panel tasked to evaluate the effectiveness of Boeing’s BA -0.1% safety management system following recent incidents with the 737 MAX program. Marisa Garcia, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'task.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English taske, from Middle French dialect (Picardy, Flanders) tasque, from Medieval Latin tasca tax or service imposed by a feudal superior, alteration of *taxa, from taxare to tax

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of task was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near task

Cite this Entry

“Task.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/task. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

task

noun
ˈtask
: a piece of assigned work

Medical Definition

task

noun
: the performance that is required of the subject in a psychological experiment or test and that is usually communicated to a human subject by verbal instructions

More from Merriam-Webster on task

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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