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undertake

[uhn-der-teyk]

verb (used with object)

to take upon oneself, as a task, performance, etc.; attempt: She undertook the job of answering all the mail.

to promise, agree, or obligate oneself (followed by an infinitive): The married couple undertook to love, honor, and cherish each other.

to warrant or guarantee (followed by a clause): The sponsors undertake that their candidate meets all the requirements.

to take in charge; assume the duty of attending to: The lawyer undertook a new case.

verb (used without object)

Archaic. to engage oneself by promise; give a guarantee, or become surety.

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Undertake is one of our favorite verbs.

So is kibitz. Does it mean:

chat, to converse

to run away hurriedly; flee.

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Origin:
1150–1200; Middle English undertaken; see under-, take

Related forms

pre·un·der·take, verb (used with object), -took, -tak·en, -tak·ing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To undertake

Example Sentences

Those are the only people who can safely undertake doctoral education in the humanities.

Such indifference will make it harder for governments to undertake reform.

Madagascar's largest-requires a journey no one would undertake who does not need to do so.

EXPAND

Those are the only people who can safely undertake doctoral education in the humanities.

Such indifference will make it harder for governments to undertake reform.

Madagascar's largest-requires a journey no one would undertake who does not need to do so.

Hedonistic societies do not undertake to perform great accomplishments.

Who knows if there will ever again be funding to undertake this sort of coring operation.

The faint-hearted would not dare undertake such a serious, often dangerous, endeavor.

Strong demonstrated interest and capability to undertake scholarly research publishable in leading journals.

There are linguistic reasons too why spelling reform is tricky to undertake.

Experience the arduous journeys that some species undertake to survive.

The actions we'd undertake could conceivably be almost as hard to track.

He'll participate in races, engage in vehicular combat and undertake rescue missions while behind the wheel.

Some areas of research are costlier to undertake than others.

Have students undertake a sprawl photojournalism project.

But if reason was the only motive, scholars would undertake fewer expensive trips to distant archives.

Experience the arduous journeys that some animal species undertake to survive.

So don't be overambitious about the goals you set and the projects you undertake.

Adventurers undertake their pursuits, in large measure, for personal gain or for an adrenaline high.

Wright will undertake to see some of the coal operators to-day.

They are suboptimal because they induce outlays at times that households and firms might otherwise not undertake them.

The whales undertake the world's longest mammalian migration.

With luck, though, they could soon undertake a challenge that will make those achievements seem almost pedestrian.

Sadly, so do the various fetch-quests that you must undertake to gather supplies to power up your dragon and upgrade his armor.

Together, they undertake search-and-rescue missions to sniff out people who have disappeared.

I'd have to have the stamina necessary to undertake such a challenge.

Grey whales undertake one of the longest migrations of any mammal on earth.

One of the first side missions you can undertake turns out to be key to flying freely throughout the city.

It is not that common for well-known actors to undertake a major theatrical role these days.

Both saving and borrowing are transactions that people undertake with their own future selves.

The simplest of endeavors to undertake is finding fault with others.

In addition, they said they believed the company had too much debt to undertake a leveraged buyout.

After all, professors often must undertake controversial subjects in the context of teaching a subject.

Last but not people wanting to undertake treatment delivery as in gold rush can be counterproductive.

Just why the sharks undertake this long journey is.

Many of them will not be able to undertake strenuous exercise again.

Participants undertake a strategic project within their own company.

McIntyre has been forced to undertake to obtain government data paid for by.

Ward said it was daring to undertake a translation of a book that has been so admired all these years.

There are different types of development that an individual can undertake in life.

The government must devote less effort to growth-destroying tax rises and instead undertake growth-promoting structural reforms.

Wildlife needs an increased level of attention and our society needs to undertake major changes to safeguard its own future.

The fix that governments usually undertake is to stimulate their economies by increasing demand through more government spending.

Schwarzschild decided to undertake his boldest project.

The same thing applies to any project you undertake with a team.

They have failed to undertake a serious restructuring:.

Few undertake a doctoral programme for monetary gain.

For now, government interventions have slowed the crisis while the nations in question undertake internal adjustments.

But its politicians will only have themselves to blame if they fail to undertake the structural reforms-of.

Students undertake a one-week international study trip in each year and complete an in-company project.

Students also undertake a project in their own organisation.

The latest racket to be exploited by the cinema is that concerned with the gentry who undertake to search for missing heirs.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

undertake (ˌʌndəˈteɪk)

—vb (foll by for) , -takes, -taking, -took, -taken
1.	(tr) to contract to or commit oneself to (something) or (to do something): to undertake a job; to undertake to deliver the goods
2.	(tr) to attempt to; agree to start
3.	(tr) to take (someone) in charge
4.	archaic to make oneself responsible (for)
5.	(tr) to promise

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

undertake

c.1200, "to entrap," in the same sense as O.E. underniman (cf. Du. ondernemen, Ger. unternehmen), of which it is a partial loan-translation, from under + take. Cf. also Fr. entreprendre "to undertake," from entre "between, among" + prendre "to take."

EXPAND

The under in this word may be the same one that also may form the first element of understand. Meaning "to accept" is attested from mid-13c.; that of "to take upon oneself, to accept the duty of" is from c.1300. Undertaking "enterprise" is recorded from early 15c.

COLLAPSE

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Matching Quote

"Every third year you shall bring out the full tithe of your produce for that year, and store it within your towns; the Levites, because they have no allotment or inheritance with you, as well as the resident aliens, the orphans, and the widows in your towns, may come and eat their fill so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work that you undertake."

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