A series of novel ethyl 4‐(methyl or trifluoromethyl)‐2‐(2‐(substituted phenoxy)acetamido)thiazole‐5‐carboxylates and were synthesized, and their structures were confirmed by IR, 1H‐NMR, MS spectra and elemental analysis. The results of preliminary bioassays show that some of the title compounds exhibit moderate to good herbicidal activities. Compared with the fluorine free compounds , , and , the compounds bearing fluorine , , and showed higher herbicidal activities with 70–100% inhibition against Capsella bursa‐pastoris, Amaranthus restroflexus, and Eclipta prostrata at the dosage of 150 g/ha, which indicated that the trifluoromethyl on the thiazole ring was beneficial for the herbicidal activity. Furthermore, compounds were tested for fungicidal activity against Pseudoperonospora cubensis at 500 µg/mL. Compounds and showed the best fungicidal activity with more than 80% inhibition.