chore

chore — noun

1. a routine activity that someone must do regularly to keep a home or farm running

1.nounC1
Definition

a routine activity that someone must do regularly to keep a home or farm running, such as washing dishes, cleaning floors, or doing laundry

Example

Every Saturday morning, the children divide up the household chores before going out to play.

collocation: household chores

Aiko's least favourite chore is scrubbing the bathtub after her brothers have used it.

Common collocations
  • household chores
  • domestic chores
  • farm chores
  • daily chores
  • do the chores
  • finish the chores
  • share the chores
  • divide up the chores
  • swap chores
Synonyms
  • task

    broader term — a task can be any piece of work, not necessarily routine or domestic

  • duty

    more formal; emphasises moral obligation or responsibility rather than everyday routine

  • errand

    refers to a short trip taken to accomplish a specific purpose (e.g., going to the post office), not a job done at home

  • job

    neutral and wide-ranging; can refer to paid work, whereas a chore is usually unpaid household work

Antonyms
  • leisure

    chores are obligatory work; leisure is free-time relaxation

Grammar Patterns

plural form: chores

often preceded by household / domestic / everyday

Usage Note

This sense is most common in the plural form 'chores' when listing a set of routine household tasks. Singular use typically singles out one specific task from that set (e.g., 'scrubbing the bathtub is my least favourite chore'). The modifier 'household', 'domestic', or 'daily' frequently precedes it.

Common Mistakes

I have to finish my chores duties before dinner.
I have to finish my chores before dinner.
'chores' already includes the idea of routine duties; adding 'duties' is redundant.
She did a chore of cleaning the kitchen.
She did the chore of cleaning the kitchen.' or 'Cleaning the kitchen was one of her chores.
use the definite article when specifying which chore.

2. an activity that feels tedious, tiring, or disagreeable to complete, even though

2.nounC1
Definition

an activity that feels tedious, tiring, or disagreeable to complete, even though it may not require much physical effort

Example

Filling out tax forms is a chore that Ravi dreads every spring.

pattern: a chore that + relative clause

After his birthday, Tomás viewed writing thank-you notes as a tiresome chore.

collocation: tiresome chore

Common collocations
  • a tedious chore
  • a tiresome chore
  • an unpleasant chore
  • a boring chore
  • a dreaded chore
  • become a chore
  • feel like a chore
  • seem like a chore
  • turn into a chore
Synonyms
  • drudgery

    stronger, emphasising monotonous, exhausting, or menial work that wears you down over time

  • bore

    focuses purely on the lack of interest or excitement, without the sense of obligation

  • burden

    suggests a heavy weight or responsibility; more serious in tone than 'chore'

  • nuisance

    milder — something annoying but not necessarily tedious or time-consuming

Antonyms
  • pleasure

    a chore is something you dislike doing; a pleasure is something you enjoy

Grammar Patterns

a chore to + infinitive

feel like a chore

become a chore

Usage Note

Distinguish from Sense 1: this sense emphasises the speaker's negative feelings (boredom, reluctance, dislike) rather than the routine nature of the task. The task itself may be non-routine — even a one-time activity can be called a chore if it is disagreeable. Common evaluative modifiers include 'tedious', 'tiresome', 'unpleasant', 'boring', and 'dreaded'.

Common Mistakes

I need to do a chore of writing this report.
Writing this report feels like a chore.' or 'Writing this report is a chore.
the idiomatic pattern is 'X is a chore' or 'X feels like a chore', not 'a chore of Y'.

Word family

  • chore boy
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe something you need to do, but 'chore' is the most specific. A 'task' is any piece of work assigned or undertaken — it is neutral and covers everything from office assignments to home repairs. 'Duty' carries a stronger sense of moral or legal obligation (e.g., 'jury duty', 'military duty'), while 'chore' is reserved for the small, everyday, often domestic work that you do regularly. An 'errand' is a short trip outside the home for a specific purpose (post office, grocery store). A 'job' can be paid employment or a discrete piece of work, but in everyday usage it is much broader than 'chore'. For example, 'mowing the lawn is a chore' focuses on its routine, unpaid nature; 'mowing the lawn is a job I used to do for pocket money' shifts the focus to paid work.

task ↗duty ↗errandjob ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • list of chores
  • set of chores
  • share of the chores

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishAmerican English

The word 'chore' came into American English in the mid-1700s as a variant of the older English word 'chare' or 'char', which meant a small job or odd task. 'Char' traces back to Old English 'cierran', meaning 'to turn' — the idea being that you 'turn to' a small piece of work. The plural form 'chores' became widely used in the 19th century to describe the everyday household tasks that family members share.