From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtasktask1 /tɑːsk $ tæsk/ ●●● S2 W1 noun 1 JOB/TASK[countable] a piece of work that must be done, especially one that is difficult or unpleasant or that must be done regularly SYN jobtask of The task of the union representative is to fight on behalf of the members. Sara had the task of preparing the agenda for meetings. I was given the task of building a fire. the skills required to carry out these tasks He soon realized the scale of the task he had undertaken. Our first task is to gather information. Monkeys can be taught to do simple tasks. They have the unenviable task of supervising the most dangerous prison in the country. Volunteers had the thankless task of distributing campaign leaflets. Trying to bring up a small daughter on your own is no easy task.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say job rather than task:I was given the job of building the fire.2 → take someone to taskCOLLOCATIONSverbshave the task of doing somethingHe had the task of judging the competition.carry out/perform/do a taskI don't think we have enough resources to carry out this task.set/give somebody a taskI was given the task of writing the chairman's speech.take on/undertake a taskNo-one else is willing to take on the task.assign a task (=give someone a task to do)People were assigned different tasks.a task faces somebodyGiven the nature of the task facing us, three days might not be enough.adjectivesimpossibleShe may argue that the task is impossible.simpleThe children help with simple tasks like carrying in water or logs for the fire.difficultThe task of selecting just five candidates is difficult.somebody's first/main taskTheir first task was to rebuild the wall.a thankless task (=a difficult but necessary job)Driving a bus in London must be a pretty thankless task.a formidable/daunting task (=very difficult)Achieving these targets will be a formidable task.an unenviable task (=unpleasant or difficult)He has the unenviable task of telling hungry people that there is no food.an arduous task (=needing a lot of effort and hard work)We began the arduous task of carrying the furniture to the top floor.phrasessomething is not an easy task something is no easy task (=something is difficult)Recruiting experienced people is no easy task nowadays.
Examples from the Corpus
task• A skill description relates to how a task is performed and what is achieved rather than what actions are taken.• Most of the workers did not have the skills required to perform the most basic tasks.• This is one of the most difficult and complex tasks we face.• Many older people need help with daily tasks like dressing and eating.• Each task should be identified and its position in the overall project established.• We knew what had to be done, but it wasn't an easy task.• One of the first tasks Eva set herself was learning the local language.• Recovery crews continued the grim task of retrieving bodies from the wreckage.• The Division has a particularly important task in promoting training courses for industry and commerce.• The UN Peacekeeping Force faces an almost impossible task.• Our main task is to improve the economy.• Tony Gauci explained that the overhaul of engines of this age was a very specialised task.• Who on earth would volunteer for such a thankless task?• By 2001, we had begun the task of collecting the materials and information needed for the study.• This question helps us identify the ideal person for the task from an attitudinal perspective.• The massacre was never fully investigated because the police were incapable of carrying out the task.• Few people are more suited to the task.no easy task• In Britain, for instance, unravelling any facts from the many legends associated with King Arthur is no easy task.• But it is no easy task.• Thus, it is no easy task to exceed the renal water excretory capacity.• Remember, what you go down in hiking you must go up, and the 800-foot climb out is no easy task.• Evaluating this set of foreign policies is no easy task.• It's no easy task when a baby's almost died on her however many times.• He lovingly laundered the classic myths to make them suitable for schoolchildren no easy task.tasktask2 AWL verb [transitive] to give someone the responsibility for doing somethingbe tasked with (doing) something We were tasked with completing the job by the end of 2006.Grammar Task is usually passive.Examples from the Corpus
task• Recognizing and controlling the feelings that produce the negative behavior is a long, hard task.• Why, then, should lawyers be called to task for protecting the rights of the accused under the Constitution?• Meanwhile, the Derechos Humanos Coalition is taking the police to task for the Gallegos shooting.• The executives who participated in the Iberian Motors task forces, for example, may or may not have soured on change.• Ad hoc task forces will be put together to solve tough problems.• But to take us to task generally makes no sense.• However, his flip dismissal of a child is far more damaging and something he should be taken to task over.From Longman Business Dictionarytasktask /tɑːsktæsk/ noun [countable]1a piece of work that must be done, especially one that must be done regularlyScheduling is a key task for most managers.day-to-day management taskscomputers that can do dozens of tasks at the same time2a piece of work that is difficult but very importanttask ofthe Bundesbank’s task of keeping the currency stableHe faced the daunting task (=one that is difficult and slightly frightening) of leading the largest experiment ever in employee ownership.3take somebody to task to tell someone that you strongly disapprove of something they have doneThe tobacco companies have been taken to task for exposing their cigarette brands to kids.Origin task (1200-1300) Old North French tasque, from Medieval Latin tasca “tax or service to be done for a ruler”, from taxare “to tax” 