UNDERTAKE


Meaning of UNDERTAKE in English

un ‧ der ‧ take W3 AC /ˌʌndəˈteɪk $ -dər-/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense undertook /-ˈtʊk/, past participle undertaken /-ˈteɪkən/) [transitive] formal

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ takings , ↑ undertaking , ↑ take , ↑ taker ; verb : ↑ take , ↑ overtake , ↑ undertake ]

[ Word Family: verb : ↑ undertake ; noun : ↑ undertaking ]

1 . to accept that you are responsible for a piece of work, and start to do it

undertake a task/a project/research/a study etc

Dr Johnson undertook the task of writing a comprehensive English dictionary.

2 . undertake to do something to promise or agree to do something:

He undertook to pay the money back in six months.

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COLLOCATIONS

■ nouns

▪ undertake a task/project

Every task he undertook was tackled with great determination.

▪ undertake work

The work is being undertaken by team of experts.

▪ undertake research/a study

Students may undertake full-time supervised research leading to the award of a Ph.D.

▪ undertake a review/analysis

The Court of Appeal decided to undertake a review of the Law.

▪ undertake a journey/voyage

You 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.

■ phrases

▪ something 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.

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THESAURUS

▪ promise to tell someone that you will definitely do something, or that something will happen:

He promised to give the book back.

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The organisers have promised that this year’s event will take place.

▪ swear to make a very serious and sincere promise, for example in a law court:

He had sworn to tell the truth.

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I would never do that, I swear.

▪ give somebody your word especially spoken to promise sincerely that you will do something or that something is true – often used when you are trying to persuade someone that they can trust you:

I give you my word that your money is safe with me.

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I’ll let you go out tonight if you give me your word that you’ll be home by 11.

▪ vow to make a very serious promise, often to yourself:

She vowed that she would never drink alcohol again.

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They vowed to carry on their campaign for justice.

▪ assure to promise someone that something will happen or that something is true, in order to try to make them feel less worried:

Police have assured the public that they are doing everything they can to find the killer.

▪ guarantee to promise that you will make sure that something will definitely happen, so that there is no question of it not happening:

I guarantee that you will have the documents by tomorrow.

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How can you guarantee that this won’t happen again?

▪ pledge to promise publicly or officially that you will do something, for example to give help or money:

The government has pledged to increase overseas aid to $4 billion over the next five years.

▪ undertake formal to make an official or legal promise to do something:

The government undertook to keep price increases to a minimum.

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The two sides undertook to respect each other’s territory.

▪ commit to something formal to make a firm and definite promise to do something important, which will affect you for a long time and which could result in serious effects if you fail:

Bobby felt unready to commit to a romantic relationship.

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A group of 11 companies has committed to developing a new passenger plane.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.