undertake

UK/ˌʌndəˈteɪk//ˌʌndɚˈteɪk/

undertake verb: to take upon oneself; to start, to embark on.

Verb

undertake (third-person singular simple present undertakes, present participle undertaking, simple past undertook, past participle undertaken)

(transitive) To take upon oneself; to start, to embark on.
- They undertook the new venture, not sure where it would lead.
- They undertook cleaning the house room by room.
Synonyms:

tackle, take on, set about
(intransitive) To commit oneself (to an obligation, activity etc.).
- He undertook to exercise more in future.
- They undertook to clean the house room by room.
(UK, informal) To pass a slower moving vehicle on the curbside rather than on the side closest to oncoming traffic.

Antonyms:

overtake
(archaic, intransitive) To pledge; to assert, assure; to dare say.
- That is her ransom; I deliver her;
  And those two counties I will undertake
  Your grace shall well and quietly enjoy.1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
- […] if those Persons who are curious in collecting either Minerals, or the Shells, Teeth, or other Parts of Animal Bodies that have been buried in the Earth, do but search the Hills after Rains, and the Sea-Shores after Storms, I dare undertake they will not lose their Labour.1695, John Woodward, An Essay towards a Natural History of the Earth and Terrestrial Bodies, London: Richard Wilkin, Part 4, pp. 222-223
(obsolete, transitive) To take by trickery; to trap, to seize upon.
(obsolete) To assume, as a character; to take on.
- Quince. […] you must needs play Pyramus.
  Bottom. Well, I will undertake it.c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First...
(obsolete) To engage with; to attack, take on in a fight.
- It is not fit your lordship should undertake every companion that you give offence to.1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard...
(obsolete) To have knowledge of; to hear.
- Ne he his mouth would open unto wight,
  Untill that Guyon selfe unto him spake,
  And called Brigadore, (so was he hight,)
  Whose voice so soone as he did undertake,
  Eftsoones he stood as still as any stake,1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Canto III”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, page 34
(obsolete) To have or take charge of.
- To the water side I must conduct your grace;
  Then give my charge up to Sir Nicholas Vaux,
  Who undertakes you to your end.1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio)...

Noun

undertake (plural undertakes)

(UK, informal) The passing of slower traffic on the curbside rather than on the side closest to oncoming traffic.

Antonyms:

overtake

undertake meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

undertake in Hindi

to undertake: आरंभ करना ārambh karnā
to undertake, to experience, to bear: उठाना uṭhānā

undertake in Tamil

to start an enterprise: மேற்கொள் mēṟkoḷ

undertake in Marathi

to undertake: स्वीकारणे svīkārṇe

undertake in Urdu

to undertake: اختیار کرنا ixtiyār karnā, آرمبھ کرنا ārambh karnā

More languagesFewer languages

undertake in Bengali: ভার গ্রহণ করা, দায়িত্বগ্রহণ করা, পরিগ্রহ করা, নিরত হওয়া
undertake in Telugu: పొదలించు podaliñcu, పెట్టుకొను peṭṭukonu
undertake in Malayalam: ഏറ്റെടുക്കുക, കൈയേൽക്കുക, കരാറെടുക്കുക
undertake in Kannada: ನೆಗಳು, ನೆಗಳಿಸು, ನೆಗಳ್ಚು, ನೆಗಳಿಚು
undertake in Odia: ମୁଣ୍ଡାଇବା muṇḍāibā
undertake in Sanskrit: क्रामति krā́mati, चरति cárati, या yā
undertake in Arabic: قَامَ qāma

Examples of undertake in a sentence

The cold truth is that states rarely undertake military action unless their national interests are at stake.
The building's developers have asked for some archaeology to be undertaken.
Having found the lower court's analysis wrong, the appellate court undertook a review de novo.

All 40 example sentences with undertake

Synonyms of undertake

Antonyms

overtake

Forms of undertake

Verb
third-person singular present	undertakes
present participle	undertaking
past	undertook
past participle	undertaken
alternative form (obsolete)	undirtake
Noun
plural	undertakes

Past tense of undertake: undertook

Origin of undertake

From Middle English undertaken; equivalent to under- + take (after undernim).

Words formed from undertake

Words that rhyme with undertake

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about undertake

What does undertake mean?: Undertake means to take upon oneself; to start, to embark on.
What is undertake in Hindi?: Undertake in Hindi is आरंभ करना (ārambh karnā), उठाना (uṭhānā). See Undertake meaning in Hindi.
What part of speech is undertake?: Undertake can be a verb or a noun.
How do you pronounce undertake?: Undertake is pronounced /ˌʌndəˈteɪk/ (UK).
What is the past tense of undertake?: The past tense of undertake is undertook.

Words near undertake in the dictionary

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-undertake.ogg.

Cite this entry: “undertake.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/undertake. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.