Definition

1. Noun:

   • A specific piece of work to be done: A "task" is a single, often well-defined, unit of work that needs to be completed, typically as a duty, assignment, or part of a larger job.
   • A difficult or demanding duty: It can imply a piece of work that requires effort or is burdensome.

2. Verb:

   • To assign a duty or piece of work: To give someone a specific job or responsibility.
   • To strain or make heavy demands on: To test the limits of someone's abilities, patience, or resources.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Completing the monthly report is my most important task.
  • The endless task of data entry can be very tedious.
  • Her first task upon arriving was to send an email to the team.

• Verb:

  • The manager tasked me with organizing the conference.
  • The difficult puzzle tasked his problem-solving skills to the limit.

Advanced Usage

• "To take someone to task": To criticize or reprimand someone strongly for something they have done wrong.

  • The teacher took the student to task for not doing his homework.

• "To task someone with (something)": A formal or official way to say you are assigning a specific responsibility to someone.

  • He was tasked with leading the new research project.

Variants and Related Words

• Task force (noun phrase): A temporary group or unit formed to deal with a specific problem or project.

  • A special task force was created to improve cybersecurity.

• Tasking (noun/gerund): The act of assigning tasks.

  • The effective tasking of personnel is crucial for the project's success.

• Taskmaster (noun): A person who imposes a harsh or heavy workload on others.

  • The new foreman was a strict taskmaster.

Synonyms

• Noun: Assignment, duty, job, chore, undertaking, mission.
• Verb: Assign, charge, entrust, burden, strain, tax.

Related Phrasal Verbs / Constructions

• Task out: (Less common) To distribute or delegate tasks.
  • The work was tasked out to various departments.

Related Idioms

• Herculean task: An extremely difficult and demanding job, referring to the Labors of Hercules in Greek mythology.

  • Cleaning the entire warehouse alone was a Herculean task.

• No mean task: Something that is difficult to accomplish (often used to emphasize the difficulty).

  • Getting everyone to agree was no mean task.

Noun

1. a specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or for a specific fee
   • estimates of the city's loss on that job ranged as high as a million dollars
   • the job of repairing the engine took several hours
   • the endless task of classifying the samples
   • the farmer's morning chores
2. any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
   • he prepared for great undertakings

Verb

1. use to the limit
   • you are taxing my patience
2. assign a task to
   • I tasked him with looking after the children