multitasking

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The activity of doing two or more tasks at the same time or switching quickly between them.

   Grammar: Uncountable; no plural, and no article is needed when speaking generally.

   Patterns

   • multitasking is ...
   • do some multitasking
   • the art of multitasking

   Multitasking is common in busy offices, but it can lower the quality of your work.

   She says her multitasking improved after she started using a daily planner.

   Some studies suggest that multitasking makes you slower, not faster.

2. 2noununcountablecomputingtechnical

   The ability of a computer to run several programs or processes at once.

   Grammar: Technical use; often appears in phrases like 'multitasking operating system'.

   Patterns

   • multitasking operating system
   • support multitasking
   • multitasking capabilities

   The new phone handles multitasking well, even with many apps open.

   Early computers had limited multitasking, so users could only run one program at a time.

   This feature improves multitasking on older devices.

3. 3noununcountablecomputingspecialist

   The performance by a single computer processor of several tasks apparently at the same time.

   Grammar: Specialist computing sense; often contrasted with 'multiprocessing' (multiple processors).

   Patterns

   • multitasking in computing
   • multitasking vs multiprocessing
   • multitasking environment

   In computing, multitasking lets you listen to music while editing a document.

   The operating system uses multitasking to share the processor among programs.

   Multitasking can make a slow computer feel unresponsive.

Common combinations

do some multitasking

I did some multitasking this morning: answering emails while making coffee.

heavy multitasking

Heavy multitasking can lead to mistakes and stress.

multitasking skills

The job ad asks for strong multitasking skills.

multitasking operating system

Linux is a multitasking operating system.

the art of multitasking

She has mastered the art of multitasking without losing focus.

Synonyms and how they differ

task-switching

More technical and often suggests moving rapidly between tasks rather than truly doing them at once.

juggling

Informal; emphasizes the difficulty of handling many things at the same time.

multiprocessing

Computing term for using more than one processor; not the same as doing tasks at once on one processor.

Opposites

Word family

multitask verb

To do two or more tasks at the same time.

multitasker noun

A person who often does several tasks at once.

Commonly confused: multitasking or multiprocessing? multitasking or multitask?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “multitasking”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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