multitasking

IPA/ˌmʌltiˈtɑːskɪŋ/
KK[mˈʌltitˌæskɪŋ]IPA/ˌmʌltiˈtæskɪŋ/

multitasking — noun

1. the practice of managing several tasks or responsibilities at once, usually by s

1.nounB2
Definition

the practice of managing several tasks or responsibilities at once, usually by switching attention rapidly from one activity to another instead of performing them all simultaneously.

Example

Imran's multitasking kept three project deadlines from colliding with each other.

multitasking as subject with possessive noun

Good multitasking requires the ability to quickly refocus after an interruption.

Common collocations
  • multitasking ability
  • multitasking skills
  • multitasking demands
  • effective multitasking
  • constant multitasking
Synonyms
  • task-switching

    more precise in cognitive science; implies shifting attention rather than parallel processing

  • juggling

    informal; suggests managing competing demands with visible effort

  • time-sharing

    historically used for computing; less common for human ability

Antonyms
  • monotasking

    focusing on a single activity without interruption

Grammar Patterns

multitasking + verb (singular)

possessive + multitasking

Usage Note

Frequently uncountable; used with adjectives such as effective, constant, or heavy. Cognitive scientists often prefer the term task-switching because the human brain cannot truly process two conscious tasks in parallel.

Common Mistakes

Multitasking is when you do many things at once.
Multitasking is the ability to manage several tasks at once.
'Multitasking' is a noun; do not define it with 'is when'.
I am good at multitasking works.
I am good at multitasking.
'Multitasking' already includes the idea of handling tasks; adding 'works' is redundant.

2. the capability of a computer system to run two or more programs or processes con

2.nounB2
Definition

the capability of a computer system to run two or more programs or processes concurrently by distributing processor time and memory among them.

Example

Modern smartphones handle multitasking so smoothly that users rarely notice the switch between apps.

handle + multitasking

The old desktop struggled with multitasking whenever more than three programs were open.

Common collocations
  • multitasking operating system
  • multitasking capability
  • multitasking environment
  • multitasking mode
  • multitasking support
Synonyms
  • parallel processing

    more technical; implies true simultaneous execution on multiple cores

  • time-sharing

    historical term from early operating systems that divided processor cycles among users

  • concurrent processing

    formal computing term for managing multiple processes in overlapping time periods

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

multitasking + noun (modifier)

for + multitasking

Usage Note

Commonly appears as a compound modifier before nouns: multitasking capability, multitasking environment, multitasking mode. Often contrasted with single-tasking or batch processing in technical discussions.

Common Mistakes

My phone has a good multitasking.
My phone has good multitasking performance.
'Multitasking' alone sounds unnatural; pair it with a noun like 'performance', 'capability', or 'support'.
This computer can multitask several programs.
This computer can handle multitasking with several programs.
'Multitask' as a verb is typically intransitive and does not take a direct object.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Multitasking is the broadest term, referring to managing multiple activities at once and is widely used in both workplace and everyday contexts. Task-switching is the more accurate cognitive-science term — it acknowledges that the brain rapidly alternates between tasks rather than processing them simultaneously; it tends to appear in academic or research writing. Juggling is an informal metaphor that emphasises the difficulty and risk of dropping something; it often carries a tone of admiration or complaint ('juggling work and family'). Time-sharing originally belonged to computing but is sometimes borrowed for human contexts to suggest a fair division of attention across commitments. In daily conversation, multitasking is the safest choice; in a psychology paper, task-switching is more precise.

multitasking ↗task-switchingjuggling ↗time-sharing ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • capacity for multitasking
  • skill at multitasking
  • demands of multitasking

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Formed in English by combining the prefix multi- (from Latin multus, meaning 'many') with the noun task (from Old French tasque, meaning a duty or piece of work assigned to someone) and the suffix -ing. The term first appeared in computing literature in the 1960s to describe an operating system's ability to run several programs at once. By the 1990s, the word had moved into general usage as a metaphor for human productivity, popularised by workplace culture and time-management books.