Meanings
plural undertakings
- The business of an undertaker, or the management of funerals.
- A promise or pledge; a guarantee.
Nobody troubles to keep his word, to carry out literally his undertakings. In my small way I try to set that right by showing them the logical development of their ways.
1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards, →OCLC1 more example
The Hong Kong SAR Government has given undertakings that such powers [powers to prevent people from leaving Hong Kong] will not be used and that the ability to remove people from flights will be applied only to stop certain asylum seekers from entering Hong Kong.
2023 June 22, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Hong Kong: Local laws and customs - That which is undertaken; any business, work, or project which a person engages in, or attempts to perform; an enterprise.
He laid the foundation stone on August 1 1847, and then set around 2,000 workmen loose on the undertaking. The station opened exactly one year later on August 1 1848.
2021 December 29, Stephen Roberts, “Stories and facts behind railway plaques: Chester (1848)”, in RAIL, number 947, page 58Synonyms: enterprise, pursuit, establishment, activity, doings, endeavor, enterprise, pursuance
- The act of one who undertakes (in either sense).
Antonyms: overtaking
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of undertake
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThat which is undertaken; any business, work, or project which a person engages in, or attempts to perform; an enterprise.
nounThe act of one who undertakes (in either sense).
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
By surface analysis, undertake + -ing.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἐπιχείρημα
- ἐπιχείρημα (epikheírēma)That which is undertaken
Bulgarian погребално бюро, гаранция
- погребално бюро (pogrebalno bjuro)The business of an undertaker, or the management of funerals
- гаранция (garancija)A promise or pledge; a guarantee
- поемане на задължение (poemane na zadălženie)A promise or pledge; a guarantee
- предприятие (predprijatie)That which is undertaken
- дело (delo)That which is undertaken
Chinese Mandarin 殯儀業 /殡仪业, 事業 /事业
- 殯儀業 /殡仪业 (bìnyíyè)The business of an undertaker, or the management of funerals
- 事業 /事业 (shìyè)That which is undertaken
- 任務 /任务 (rènwu)That which is undertaken
- 工作 (gōngzuò)That which is undertaken
Danish firma, virksomhed
- firmaThat which is undertaken
- virksomhedThat which is undertaken
Finnish sopimus, lupaus
- sopimusA promise or pledge; a guarantee
- lupausA promise or pledge; a guarantee
- hankeThat which is undertaken
- aieThat which is undertaken
French entreprise
- entrepriseThat which is undertaken
German Unternehmen
- UnternehmenThat which is undertaken
Greek γραφείο κηδειών
- γραφείο κηδειών (grafeío kideión)The business of an undertaker, or the management of funerals
Hindi उपक्रम, उद्यम
- उपक्रम (upakram)That which is undertaken
- उद्यम (udyam)That which is undertaken
Hungarian vállalkozás
- vállalkozásThat which is undertaken
Irish gabháil
- gabháilThe act of one who undertakes
Italian garanzia
- garanziaA promise or pledge; a guarantee
Latin susceptus, coeptum
- susceptusThat which is undertaken
- coeptumThat which is undertaken
Māori hinonga
- hinongaThat which is undertaken
Norwegian Bokmål foretak
- foretakThat which is undertaken
Persian تضمین, مردهشور
- تضمین (tazmin)A promise or pledge; a guarantee
- مردهشور (morde-šur)That which is undertaken
- گورکن (gurkan)That which is undertaken
Polish zakład pogrzebowy, gwarancja
- zakład pogrzebowyThe business of an undertaker, or the management of funerals
- gwarancjaA promise or pledge; a guarantee
- przedsięwzięcieThat which is undertaken
- antrepryzaThat which is undertaken
- przedsięwzięcieThe act of one who undertakes
- antrepryzaThe act of one who undertakes
Russian похоро́нное бюро́, ритуа́льные услу́ги
- похоро́нное бюро́ (poxorónnoje bjuró)The business of an undertaker, or the management of funerals
- ритуа́льные услу́ги (rituálʹnyje uslúgi)The business of an undertaker, or the management of funerals
- бюро́ ритуа́льных услу́г (bjuró rituálʹnyx uslúg)The business of an undertaker, or the management of funerals
- обяза́тельство (objazátelʹstvo)A promise or pledge; a guarantee
- гара́нтия (garántija)A promise or pledge; a guarantee
- предприя́тие (predprijátije)That which is undertaken
- мероприя́тие (meroprijátije)That which is undertaken
- начина́ние (načinánije)That which is undertaken
- зате́я (zatéja)That which is undertaken
Spanish funeraria, emprendimiento
- funerariaThe business of an undertaker, or the management of funerals
- emprendimientoThat which is undertaken
- destajoThat which is undertaken
Swedish begravningsbyrå, företag
- begravningsbyråThe business of an undertaker, or the management of funerals
- företagThat which is undertaken
Ukrainian підприє́мство, за́хід
- підприє́мство (pidpryjémstvo)That which is undertaken
- за́хід (záxid)That which is undertaken
- почина́ння (počynánnja)That which is undertaken
Yiddish אונטערנעמונג, אונטערנעמונג
- אונטערנעמונג (unternemung)That which is undertaken
- אונטערנעמונג (unternemung)The act of one who undertakes
Cite this entry
undertaking. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/undertaking
“undertaking.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/undertaking. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “undertaking,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/undertaking.
Source: undertaking on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.