From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishundertakeun‧der‧take /ˌʌndəˈteɪk $ -dər-/ ●●○ W3 AWL verb (past tense undertook /-ˈtʊk/, past participle undertaken /-ˈteɪkən/) [transitive] formal 1 PROMISEto accept that you are responsible for a piece of work, and start to do itundertake a task/a project/research/a study etc Dr Johnson undertook the task of writing a comprehensive English dictionary.2 → undertake to do somethingCOLLOCATIONSnounsundertake a task/projectEvery task he undertook was tackled with great determination.undertake workThe work is being undertaken by team of experts.undertake research/a studyStudents may undertake full-time supervised research leading to the award of a Ph.D.undertake a review/analysisThe Court of Appeal decided to undertake a review of the Law.undertake a journey/voyageYou should not undertake a long journey if you are unwell.undertake duties (=do things as part of your job)I’m rarely asked to undertake teaching duties these days.phrasessomething is not to be undertaken lightly (=not to be started without serious thought, for example because it is difficult)It was not a voyage to be undertaken lightly. → See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
undertake• Strategies for reducing school size at the secondary level are simple and easily undertaken.• There are four major initiatives a Government can undertake.• Nevertheless, it was independently undertaken, in a very matter-of-fact way, to assist a respected superior in coping.• Considerable research was undertaken into the original Superspec home at Colchester.• Members of these units are legal combatants and undertake legitimate military tasks.• It has also undertaken studies and simulation exercises in emergency planning.• Two new studies have been undertaken to determine the effects of the chemicals.From Longman Business Dictionaryundertakeun‧der‧take /ˌʌndəˈteɪk-ər-/ verb (past tense undertook /-ˈtʊk/, past participle undertaken /-ˈteɪkən/) [transitive]1to accept that you are responsible for a piece of work and start to do itHis first task was to undertake a major reorganization of production methods.2undertake to do something to promise or agree to do somethingThe ferry operators undertook not to reduce services or increase fares.→ See Verb table 