task
noun [ C ]
uk/tɑːsk/ us/tæsk/ WORKPLACE
a piece of work that needs to be done, especially one that is a regular part of someone's job:
The new team's first task will be to ensure a smooth handover of power.
carry out/complete/do a task Those in charge of planning the relocation will need to decide what tasks need to be carried out.
assign/give/set sb a task A small team at head office has been assigned the task of setting up a central database.
perform/undertake a task
a big/important/major task
a crucial/key/main task
time-consuming/urgent tasks
easy/menial/simple tasks
administrative/creative/sales tasks
a difficult thing that must be done:
a challenging/daunting task The government faces the daunting task of restructuring the pension system.
a difficult/hard/impossible task With the cost-cutting complete, the bank is faced with the more difficult task of generating increased revenues to convert into profit.
IT
an action done by a computer such as starting a program, checking email, saving files, etc.:
By automating repetitive tasks, software programs can save people a lot of time.
do/execute/perform a task A mainframe's speed is measured in the number of tasks it can perform in a millisecond.
take sb/sth to task (over sth)
to criticize a person, group of people, or an organization for doing something that you think is very wrong:
Farmers took the large supermarket chains to task over their ruthless pricing.
See also
multitasking
task
verb [ T, usually passive ]
formal uk/tɑːsk/ us/tæsk/to give someone a difficult job to do:
task sb with (doing) sth The parent company is being tasked with turning around two new acquisitions.
task sb to do sth The company completed only a small fraction of the 150 health clinics it was tasked to build.