What does it mean when something becomes a chore?
The noun ‘chore’ describes a task or a small job that is often annoying or boring but (unfortunately) has to be done and usually, on a regular basis.
Think of household chores such as vacuuming carpets, dusting surfaces, ironing shirts, washing dishes, cleaning the bath, and so on. All of these little tasks or chores are boring but need to be done at least once a week.
Chores aren’t just limited to the home, repetitive tasks like writing reports at the office or filing documents that an employee is obligated to do can be perceived as a chore by some people, especially if they have to be done for a long period of time.
So, can you figure out what the expression ‘to become a chore’ means? If you can imagine an assistant who has just started his new job, at first he is excited to file documents for his new employer along with his other responsibilities.
However, as time goes on this task becomes repetitive, boring and easy. At the beginning, this part of the job was enjoyable but as time went on and he took on more responsibilities in the company, this task lost it’s appeal and became a chore, something that he had to do, on a regular basis.
So, if something becomes a chore, this means that a task or a small job was fun and enjoyable at the beginning but became boring and repetitive over time. These tasks that were optional or voluntary become obligatory, a person feels like they have no choice but to continue doing these tasks.
Or because the person keeps doing the same task, they get bored or don’t feel like their being challenged enough, this is how a hobby or a task becomes a chore.
Here are some more examples of the expression being used:
- The amateur boxer used to love going to the local gym during the weekend to train with other boxers. However, once he started training for big competitions he had to wake up at 5 a.m. every day and go to the gym. Eventually, this became a chore for the young boxer, he didn’t find it fun anymore and he lost his passion for the sport.
- When the young couple moved into their new home, they enjoyed keeping the place clean and tidy, they dusted and vacuumed every second day and never left dirty dishes in the sink. After a few months though, these little tasks became chores as they felt like they had to do it rather than wanting to do it.
