errander‧rand /ˈerənd/ noun [countable] 
I seemed to spend my life running errands for people. She was always sending me on errands.on an errand I couldn’t stop because I was on an errand. He quickly set out on his errand of mercy (=journey to help someone in danger). → (send somebody on) a fool’s errand at fool1(11)
WORD ORIGINerrand
Origin:
Old English ærendEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Before you disappear, I want you to do an errand for me.
- I used to pick up her dry cleaning and run errands for her.
- Peter cleaned equipment, ran errands, answered the phone -- it was all routine.
- After all, we plan for meals, work, dental visits, errands, and television programs.
- And among unloved tasks, household chores and errands, cleaning is one of the most hated.
- As soon as you paid some one to run an errand, a record of payment was created.
- He often got me out of bed, late on an evening, to run an errand.
- My superior self was on a quixotic errand!
- Our morning had been devoted to running errands and visiting the obligatory temples.
- The occasional curtained litter or rickshaw sheltered its rich occupant from the sun as he or she ventured out on some errand.
- They all had lots of last-minute errands to do.
Longman Language Activatora piece of work that you have to do
a specific piece of work that you have to do, often one that you are not paid for: · Repairing the roof -- that's going to be the biggest job.· Cleaning the car's one of my least favorite jobs.do a job: · Well, I must go now. I've lots of jobs to do around the house.do a good/nice/beautiful etc job (=do a job well): · I always take my car to York Street garage. They're expensive, but they do a good job.· Irene did a nice job on those clothes didn't she?get on with a job (=continue doing a job): · He didn't complain or criticize, he just got on with the job.odd jobs (=jobs of different kinds that are not regular): · He does odd jobs for people in his spare time.the job in/at hand (=the job you have to do at the moment): · Let's just concentrate on the job in hand, shall we?· She was upset, and found it difficult to keep her mind on the job at hand.
formal a piece of work that you have to do - use this especially about a difficult or unpleasant job, or about a specific part of your work: · One of the first tasks Eva set herself was learning the local language.impossible/difficult/arduous etc task: · The UN Peacekeeping Force faces an almost impossible task.· We knew what had to be done, but it wasn't an easy task.task of: · Recovery crews continued the grim task of retrieving bodies from the wreckage. face/begin/continue a task: · By 2001, we had begun the task of collecting the materials and information needed for the study.· This is one of the most difficult and complex tasks we face.perform a task/carry out a task: · Most of the workers did not have the skills required to perform the most basic tasks.· The massacre was never fully investigated because the police were incapable of carrying out the task.thankless task (=one that no one wants to do because they will get no satisfaction from it): · Who on earth would volunteer for such a thankless task?
a job that you have to do, either for your work or for yourself, especially things that you have to leave your office or house to do: · I'll pick the laundry up on Saturday -- I have some shopping to do anyway.· I've got some work to do this evening.
something that you have to do, especially something that involves writing or drawing and a lot of thinking: do/hand in/submit a piece of work: · Do you actually fail the year if you don't hand in a piece of work?· I've got a merit for every piece of work I've done.good/excellent etc piece of work: · I think this is a very fine piece of work and it deserves a first class mark.· Look at that piece of work and ask yourself the question -- 'Is this the best I can do?'
a piece of work that someone gives you to do, as part of your job or as part of your studies: · Bart's first assignment for the newspaper was to report on the French elections.· This is a really tough assignment, and I believe you're the only person who can handle it.finish/complete an assignment: · She stayed late to complete a class assignment.history/homework/school/military etc assignment: · Robin spent many lunch hours poring over her math assignments.· I eventually got a teaching assignment at Xibei.one-year/two week etc assignment: · 'I figure this will either make or break us,' Cheyne said of the 1-year assignment to get the camp up and running.
an unpleasant or boring job, especially one that you have to do regularly in your home: · Washing the kitchen floor was a daily chore, and it was the one I hated most.· When we opened the store, our ambition was to make shopping less of a chore, more of a pleasure.· When I got old enough I started to have chores around the house.do the/your chores (=do all the cleaning etc that needs doing in a home): · Michael, come on. Do your chores, bud.household chores (=chores in the home, such as cleaning or cooking): · Husbands should be prepared to do their share of the household chores.
a small job that you need to do or that someone has asked you to do, such as buying something, posting something, taking somebody to a place etc: do/run an errand (for somebody): · Before you disappear, I want you to do an errand for me.· Peter cleaned equipment, ran errands, answered the phone -- it was all routine.· I used to pick up her dry cleaning and run errands for her.
something that you have a responsibility to do, especially as a regular part of your job: · For the most part, there was not much to do, other than cleanup duty around the prison camp.· Part of a park ranger's official duties is to ensure public safety.· clerical and secretarial dutieshave a duty to do something formal: · Teachers have a duty to ensure that students are not injured whilst they are in their care.perform a duty: · And now I have a very pleasant duty to perform. I am going to present the prizes to the winning competitors.tour of duty (=a period of time that a soldier or other member of the armed forces spends in a particular place): · He recently completed a tour of duty in Seoul as assistant to the US ambassador there.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY I seemed to spend my life running errands for people. She was always sending me on errands. He quickly set out on his errand of mercy (=journey to help someone in danger).COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
a short journey in order to do something for someone, for example delivering or collecting something for them: I seemed to spend my life running errands for people. She was always sending me on errands. He quickly set out on his errand of mercy (=journey to help someone in danger).· The other servants were at market or running errands.· Poor country girls running errands in the marketplace were lured by tales of desirable factory jobs.· She never wasted time running errands.
NOUN· An errand boy must have his fling, you know.· Fritz was maid, butler, and errand boy, the stalwart ninny who never spoke a word of complaint.· They are not a packet of sweets to be labelled with certain addresses and delivered by the errand boy.
VERB· An officer who wants to take it easy, for example, or run personal errands can do so with virtual impunity.· The boys run errands for the proprietor of a nearby video arcade, who pays them in quarters.· He often got me out of bed, late on an evening, to run an errand.· He soon got to know the young kids who eked a living by carrying luggage, polishing shoes or running errands.· Moira Anderson vanished without trace in a snow storm while running an errand for her grandmother on 23 February 1957.· I started out as a gofer, running errands for him and doing odd little jobs.
· She missed the rest of the rehearsal because Mary Deare kept sending her out on errands.· Or a child is sent on an important errand by the parent but does not carry out the request.
I seemed to spend my life running errands for people. She was always sending me on errands.on an errand I couldn’t stop because I was on an errand. He quickly set out on his errand of mercy (=journey to help someone in danger). → (send somebody on) a fool’s errand at fool1(11)