undertake

undertake
verb (undertook; undertaken; -taking) Date: 14th century 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

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Undertake — Un der*take , v. t. [imp. {Undertook}; p. p. {Undertaken}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Undertaking}.] [Under + take.] 1. To take upon one s self; to engage in; to enter upon; to take in hand; to begin to perform; to set about; to attempt. [1913 Webster] To… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • undertake — un‧der‧take [ˌʌndəˈteɪk ǁ ər ] verb undertook PASTTENSE [ ˈtʊk] undertaken PASTPART [ ˈteɪkən] [transitive] 1. to accept that you are responsible for a piece of work and start to do it: • His first task was to undertake a major reorganization of… …   Financial and business terms

  • Undertake — Un der*take , v. i. 1. To take upon one s self, or assume, any business, duty, or province. [1913 Webster] O Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me. Isa. xxxviii. 14. [1913 Webster] 2. To venture; to hazard. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] It is the cowish …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • undertake — (v.) 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 (Cf. under) + TAKE (Cf. take). Cf. also Fr. entreprendre to undertake, from entre between,… …   Etymology dictionary

  • undertake — I verb accept, address oneself to, agree, answer for, apply oneself to, assume, attempt, be answerable for, begin, carry on, carry out, commence, commit, commit oneself to, contract, covenant, devote oneself to, embark upon, endeavor, engage in,… …   Law dictionary

  • undertake — [v] attempt, engage in address oneself, agree, answer for, bargain, begin, commence, commit, commit oneself, contract, covenant, devote, embark, endeavor, enter upon, fall into, go about, go for, go in for, go into, guarantee, have a hand in*,… …   New thesaurus

  • undertake — ► VERB (past undertook; past part. undertaken) 1) commit oneself to and begin (an enterprise or responsibility); take on. 2) formally guarantee or promise …   English terms dictionary

  • undertake — [un΄dər tāk′] vt. undertook, undertaken, undertaking [ME undertaken: see UNDER & TAKE] 1. to take upon oneself; agree to do; enter into or upon (a task, journey, etc.) 2. to give a promise or pledge that; contract [he undertook to be their guide] …   English World dictionary

  • undertake — 01. The Great Wall of China is the largest construction project ever [undertaken] by man. 02. The Louvre in Paris has [undertaken] to restore some old paintings that were damaged in a fire a couple of hundred years ago. 03. As a soldier in the… …   Grammatical examples in English

  • undertake */*/ — UK [ˌʌndə(r)ˈteɪk] / US [ˌʌndərˈteɪk] verb [transitive] Word forms undertake : present tense I/you/we/they undertake he/she/it undertakes present participle undertaking past tense undertook UK [ˌʌndə(r)ˈtʊk] / US [ˌʌndərˈtʊk] past participle… …   English dictionary

  • undertake — un|der|take [ ,ʌndər teık ] (past tense un|der|took [ ,ʌndər tuk ] ; past participle un|der|tak|en [ ,ʌndər teıkn ] ) verb transitive ** 1. ) to agree to be responsible for a job or project and do it: The court will undertake a serious… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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