task

UK: /ˈtɑːsk/, /ˈtæsk/ US: /tæsk/ ,(task, täsk)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

task /tæsk/   n. 

[countable]
1. a piece of work assigned to a person:
   a boring task.

Idioms

2. Idioms take or bring (someone) to task, to scold or reprimand;
   chide;
   censure:
   The boss took him to task for being late.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

task  (task, täsk), n. 

1. a definite piece of work assigned to, falling to, or expected of a person;
   duty.
2. any piece of work.
3. a matter of considerable labor or difficulty.
4. [Obs.] a tax or impost.
5. take to task, to call to account;
   blame;
   censure:
   The teacher took them to task for not doing their homework.

v.t. 

6. to subject to severe or excessive labor or exertion;
   put a strain upon (powers, resources, etc.).
7. to impose a task on.
8. [Obs.] to tax.

adj. 

9. of or pertaining to a task or tasks:
   A task chart will help organize the department's work.

• Medieval Latin tasca, metathetic variant of taxa tax
• Middle English (noun, nominal) 1250–1300

task′less, adj. 
Synonyms

• 1, 2. job, assignment.
  Task, chore, job, assignment refer to a definite and specific instance or act of work.
  Task and chore and, to a lesser extent,
  job often imply work that is tiresome, arduous, or otherwise unpleasant.
  Task usually refers to a clearly defined piece of work, sometimes of short or limited duration, assigned to or expected of a person:
  the task of pacifying angry customers; a difficult, time-consuming task.
  A chore is a minor task, usually one of several performed as part of a routine, as in farming, and often more tedious than difficult:
  the daily chore of taking out the garbage; early morning chores of feeding the livestock.
  Job is the most general of these terms, referring to almost any work or responsibility, including a person's means of earning a living:
  the job of washing the windows; a well-paying job in advertising.
  Assignment refers to a specific task allocated to a person by someone in a position of authority:
  a homework assignment; a reporter's assignment to cover international news.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

task / tɑːsk/ noun

1. a specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or chore
2. an unpleasant or difficult job or duty
3. any piece of work
4. take to task ⇒ to criticize or reprove

verb (transitive)

1. to assign a task to
2. to subject to severe strain; tax

Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French tasche, from Medieval Latin tasca, from taxa tax, from Latin taxāre to tax