TASK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does task mean? 

• TASK (noun)
  The noun TASK has 2 senses:

1. any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted

2. a specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or for a specific fee

  Familiarity information: TASK used as a noun is rare.

• TASK (verb)
  The verb TASK has 2 senses:

1. assign a task to

2. use to the limit

  Familiarity information: TASK used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TASK (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

labor; project; task; undertaking

Context example:

he prepared for great undertakings

Hypernyms ("task" is a kind of...):

work (activity directed toward making or doing something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "task"):

breeze; child's play; cinch; duck soup; picnic; piece of cake; pushover; snap; walkover (any undertaking that is easy to do)

adventure; dangerous undertaking; escapade; risky venture (a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful))

assignment (an undertaking that you have been assigned to do (as by an instructor))

baby (a project of personal concern to someone)

endeavor; endeavour; enterprise (a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness))

labor of love; labour of love (productive work performed voluntarily without material reward or compensation)

endurance contest; marathon (any long and arduous undertaking)

no-brainer (anything that requires little thought)

proposition (a task to be dealt with)

large order; tall order (a formidable task or requirement)

venture (any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome)

Instance hyponyms:

Manhattan Project (code name for the secret United States project set up in 1942 to develop atomic bombs for use in World War II)

Derivation:

task (assign a task to)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or for a specific fee

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

chore; job; task

Context example:

the farmer's morning chores

Hypernyms ("task" is a kind of...):

duty (work that you are obliged to perform for moral or legal reasons)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "task"):

ball-breaker; ball-buster (a job or situation that is demanding and arduous and punishing)

stint (an individual's prescribed share of work)

scut work; shitwork (trivial, unrewarding, tedious, dirty, and disagreeable chores)

Derivation:

task (assign a task to)

• TASK (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they task    ... he / she / it tasks   
Past simple: tasked   
Past participle: tasked   
-ing form: tasking   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Assign a task to

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Context example:

I tasked him with looking after the children

Hypernyms (to "task" is one way to...):

assign; delegate; depute; designate (give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something with something

Derivation:

task (a specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or for a specific fee)

task (any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Use to the limit

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Synonyms:

task; tax

Context example:

you are taxing my patience

Hypernyms (to "task" is one way to...):

extend; strain (use to the utmost; exert vigorously or to full capacity)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

Functional Assessment of Multiple Sclerosis (FAMS) Thinking and Fatigue: I have trouble learning new tasks or directions.

(FAMS - Trouble Learning New Tasks or Directions, NCI Thesaurus)

Beth is as regular about her tasks as a clock, and never forgets what you told her.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

If I were alone, would he not at times force his abhorred presence on me to remind me of my task or to contemplate its progress?

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

The utilization or development of computer programs to solve, analyze, understand or manage any simple or complex task.

(Computational Technique, NCI Thesaurus)

‘Thank you very much,’ said he; ‘I fear that I underrated the difficulty of the task.’

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

As usual, I had underrated the amount of work involved in this portion of the task, and two long days were necessary to complete it.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Indicates a task, process or examination that has been performed and completed.

(Done, NCI Thesaurus)

Joe waited for nothing, waited on nothing, and went on the jump from task to task.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

It is our task to put on record what we have seen, and to leave the further exploration to others.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I have a great task to do, and at the beginning it is to know.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)