errand
Americannoun
-
a short and quick trip to accomplish a specific purpose, as to buy something, deliver a package, or convey a message, often for someone else.
- Synonyms:
- chore, assignment, task, mission
-
the purpose of such a trip.
He finished his errands.
- Synonyms:
- chore, assignment, task, mission
-
a special mission or function entrusted to a messenger; commission.
noun
-
a short trip undertaken to perform a necessary task or commission (esp in the phrase run errands )
-
the purpose or object of such a trip
Etymology
Origin of errand
First recorded before 900; Middle English erande, Old English ærende; cognate with Old High German āruntī; compare Old English ār “messenger,” Gothic airus; not related to err ( def. ), errant ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She’s over meticulously applying makeup before leaving the house or, even, having to wear a bra when running errands.
From Los Angeles Times
Polly Logan, the award-winning distiller at nearby Tormore Distillery, has been known to drop it off herself in between other errands.
It was going to take Mrs. Maroney a few minutes to tend to the errand, and she excused herself with profound apologies.
From Literature
It all started when I’d found myself inside a rice pudding establishment in Lower Manhattan while running errands.
From Salon
“It’s no trouble. I have a truck, and I have errands to run tomorrow.”
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
