undertake

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Related to undertake: undertake responsibility

un·der·take

(ŭn′dər-tāk′)

v. un·der·took (-to͝ok′), un·der·tak·en, un·der·tak·ing, un·der·takes

v.tr.

1. To deliberately begin to do (something): undertake a task.

2. To pledge or commit oneself (to do something): undertake to care for an elderly relative.

3. To promise or guarantee: "The man undertook that one room at least should be ready for occupation the next day" (Thomas Hardy).

v.intr. Archaic

To make oneself responsible. Used with for.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

undertake

(ˌʌndəˈteɪk)

vb, -takes, -taking, -took or -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 (foll by: for) to make oneself responsible (for)

5. (tr) to promise

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

un•der•take

(ˌʌn dərˈteɪk)

v. -took, -tak•en, -tak•ing. v.t.

1. to take upon oneself, as a task or performance; attempt: He undertook the job of answering the mail.

2. to obligate oneself (fol. by an infinitive).

3. to warrant or guarantee (fol. by a clause): to undertake that a loan is fully secured.

4. to take in charge.

v.i.

5. Archaic. to engage oneself by promise or guarantee.

[1150–1200]

undertake

Past participle: undertaken
Gerund: undertaking

Imperative
undertake
undertake

Present
I undertake
you undertake
he/she/it undertakes
we undertake
you undertake
they undertake

Preterite
I undertook
you undertook
he/she/it undertook
we undertook
you undertook
they undertook

Present Continuous
I am undertaking
you are undertaking
he/she/it is undertaking
we are undertaking
you are undertaking
they are undertaking

Present Perfect
I have undertaken
you have undertaken
he/she/it has undertaken
we have undertaken
you have undertaken
they have undertaken

Past Continuous
I was undertaking
you were undertaking
he/she/it was undertaking
we were undertaking
you were undertaking
they were undertaking

Past Perfect
I had undertaken
you had undertaken
he/she/it had undertaken
we had undertaken
you had undertaken
they had undertaken

Future
I will undertake
you will undertake
he/she/it will undertake
we will undertake
you will undertake
they will undertake

Future Perfect
I will have undertaken
you will have undertaken
he/she/it will have undertaken
we will have undertaken
you will have undertaken
they will have undertaken

Future Continuous
I will be undertaking
you will be undertaking
he/she/it will be undertaking
we will be undertaking
you will be undertaking
they will be undertaking

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been undertaking
you have been undertaking
he/she/it has been undertaking
we have been undertaking
you have been undertaking
they have been undertaking

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been undertaking
you will have been undertaking
he/she/it will have been undertaking
we will have been undertaking
you will have been undertaking
they will have been undertaking

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been undertaking
you had been undertaking
he/she/it had been undertaking
we had been undertaking
you had been undertaking
they had been undertaking

Conditional
I would undertake
you would undertake
he/she/it would undertake
we would undertake
you would undertake
they would undertake

Past Conditional
I would have undertaken
you would have undertaken
he/she/it would have undertaken
we would have undertaken
you would have undertaken
they would have undertaken

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb	1.	undertake - enter upon an activity or enterprise attempt, set about initiate, pioneer - take the lead or initiative in; participate in the development of; "This South African surgeon pioneered heart transplants"
	2.	undertake - accept as a challenge; "I'll tackle this difficult task" tackle, take on face, face up, confront - deal with (something unpleasant) head on; "You must confront your problems"; "He faced the terrible consequences of his mistakes" rise - exert oneself to meet a challenge; "rise to a challenge"; "rise to the occasion"
	3.	undertake - promise to do or accomplish; "guarantee to free the prisoners" guarantee promise, assure - make a promise or commitment subvent, subvention, underwrite - guarantee financial support of; "The opera tour was subvented by a bank"
	4.	undertake - enter into a contractual arrangement contract promise, assure - make a promise or commitment stipulate - make an oral contract or agreement in the verbal form of question and answer that is necessary to give it legal force sign - be engaged by a written agreement; "He signed to play the casino on Dec. 18"; "The soprano signed to sing the new opera" specify, stipulate, condition, qualify - specify as a condition or requirement in a contract or agreement; make an express demand or provision in an agreement; "The will stipulates that she can live in the house for the rest of her life"; "The contract stipulates the dates of the payments" lease, rent - let for money; "We rented our apartment to friends while we were abroad" charter, hire, lease, rent - hold under a lease or rental agreement; of goods and services
	5.	undertake - accept as a charge take in charge consent, go for, accept - give an affirmative reply to; respond favorably to; "I cannot accept your invitation"; "I go for this resolution"

undertake

verb

1. take on, embark on, set about, commence, try, begin, attempt, tackle, enter upon, endeavour to do She undertook the arduous task of monitoring the elections.

2. agree, promise, contract, guarantee, engage, pledge, covenant, commit yourself, take upon yourself He undertook to edit the text himself.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

undertake

verb

1. To take upon oneself:

assume, incur, shoulder, tackle, take on, take over.

2. To assume an obligation:

contract, engage, pledge, promise.

3. To go about the initial step in doing (something):

approach, begin, commence, embark, enter, get off, inaugurate, initiate, institute, launch, lead off, open, set about, set out, set to, start, take on, take up.

Informal: kick off.

Idioms: get cracking, get going, get the show on the road.

Translations

يَتَعَهَّديَقْبَل المَسؤوليَّه

ujmout sezavázat se

love

sich verpflichten übernehmen

acometer asumir comprometerse a emprender

charger de entreprendre promettre

skuldbinda sigtaka aî sér

impegnarsi impresa iniziativa intraprendere promessa

laidojimo biuro agentaspasižadėti

apņemtiesapsolītuzņemties

empreender

ujať sa

obvezati seprevzeti

bir şey yapmaya söz vermeküstlenmekyüklenmek

允诺承担承诺接受

undertake

[ˌʌndəˈteɪk] (undertook (pt) (undertaken (pp))) [ˌʌndəˈteɪkən]

A. VT [+ task] → emprender; [+ responsibility] → asumir
to undertake to do sth → comprometerse a hacer algo
to undertake that → comprometerse a que ...

B. VT (Brit) (Aut) → adelantar por el lado contrario or el carril indebido

C. VI (Brit) (Aut) → adelantar por el lado contrario or el carril indebido

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

undertake

[ˌʌndə^rˈteɪk] [undertook] [ˌʌndə^rˈtʊk] (pt) [undertaken] (pp) vt

[+ job, task] → entreprendre; [+ duty] → se charger de; [+ research, investigation] → entreprendre

(= promise) to undertake to do sth → s'engager à faire qch

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

undertake

pret <undertook> ptp <undertaken>

job, duty, responsibility → übernehmen; risk → eingehen, auf sich (acc) → nehmen; study, research, reform → durchführen; tour → machen; he undertook to be our guide → er übernahm es, unser Führer zu sein

(= agree, promise) → sich verpflichten; (= guarantee) → garantieren

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

undertake

[ˌʌndəˈteɪk] (undertook (pt) (undertaken (pp))) [ˌʌndəˈteɪk/ən] vt (task) → intraprendere; (responsibility) → assumersi
to undertake to do sth → impegnarsi a fare qc

undertake

(andəˈteik) verb – past tense ˌunderˈtook (-ˈtuk) past participle ˌunderˈtaken –

1. to accept (a duty, task, responsibility etc). He undertook the job willingly.

2. to promise (eg to do something). He has undertaken to appear at the police court tomorrow.

ˈundertaker (-teikə) noun

a person who organizes funerals.

ˌunderˈtaking noun

1. a task or piece of work. I didn't realize what a large undertaking this job would be.

2. a promise. He made an undertaking that he would pay the money back.

undertake

vi. emprender, iniciar, tomar la iniciativa.

References in classic literature ?

Ferguson, and the heart, thrice panoplied in bronze, that could conceive and undertake such an enterprise.

View in context

Nay, some undertake suits, with a full purpose to let them fall; to the end to gratify the adverse party, or competitor.

View in context

Finding that I took an interest in the subject, he expressed a regret that the true nature and extent of his enterprise and its national character and importance had never been understood, and a wish that I would undertake to give an account of it.

View in context

Naturally our Ozma wished to undertake the adventure of liberating the poor prisoners; but for a long time she could find no way to cross the great desert between the two countries.

"For, if with the aid of my brave followers I cannot accomplish my purpose, then it would be useless for you to undertake the journey."

View in context

A long silence followed--how long neither would afterward undertake to say.

View in context

Again I claim exemption in this wandering history from all such descriptive drudgery upon second, third, and fourth dramatis personsonae as your thorough-going novelist must undertake with a good grace.

Well, the long and short of it was that I agreed to undertake the adventure, provided that Nicolete could win over the lady whom at the beginning of the chapter I declared too charming to be described as an obstacle.

View in context

"I am on the point of starting for the North, to make all needful inquiries, and to perform whatever duties I may with propriety undertake, as solicitor to the deceased gentleman.

View in context

"When any one of its members is under suspicion," replied the Cashier, "the Association undertakes to clear his character by submitting evidence that he was never a prominent member of any church, nor foremost in Sunday-school work."

View in context

From a Shari'a point of view (as noted by AAOFI), it is permissible for an issuer of the Sukuk to undertake to purchase the Mudaraba assets at market value and not at a predetermined fixed price.

Sukuk Al Mudaraba: Issues relating to Distribution of Losses between the Issuer and Investors

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