Meaning & use
task force
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Meanings
nouncountable
A group of people brought together for a limited time to deal with one particular problem or project.
Grammar: Usually followed by on or to: a task force on housing; the group disbands after finishing.
Patterns
- a task force on something
- a task force to do something
- set up a task force
The mayor created a task force on traffic safety after three accidents on the same road.
A small task force will review how the company handles customer complaints.
She was asked to lead a task force to cut energy costs in the school.
nouncountablemilitary
A military unit of ships, aircraft or troops put together to carry out one specific operation.
Grammar: Used with an or the, often with a place or purpose: a naval task force.
Patterns
- a task force to somewhere
- send a task force
The government sent a naval task force to guard the shipping lanes.
A task force of two hundred soldiers was assembled for the rescue mission.
The task force sailed at dawn with supplies for the island.
Word forms
| plural | task forces |
|---|
Common combinations
- set up a task force
- The hospital set up a task force to cut waiting times.
- head a task force
- The deputy director will head the task force.
- a special task force
- A special task force investigated the data leak.
- a joint task force
- Police and customs formed a joint task force against smuggling.
- a task force report
- The task force report urged more funding for libraries.
Synonyms and how they differ
- working group
- It sounds a bit calmer and more routine, whereas task force suggests urgency and a clear goal.
- committee
- A committee often lasts for years and meets regularly, while a task force breaks up once its job is done.
- team
- Team is a much broader word and does not imply a special, temporary mission assigned from above.
- panel
- A panel is usually a set of experts who give advice or judge, rather than people expected to carry out a plan.
Word family
- task noun
- a piece of work to be done
- force noun
- a group organized for a purpose, such as police force
- taskmaster noun
- a person who gives others hard work to do
Practice
The governor announced a ______ to study how to reduce flooding in the region.
Choose one answer.
A task force is a temporary group formed for a specific problem. Work force means all the workers in a place, and the other options are not standard terms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “task force”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.