assess

verb

as·​sess ə-ˈses 

a-

assessed; assessing; assesses

transitive verb

1

: to examine and make a judgment about (as with regard to nature, importance, size, or value)

assess a problem

assess the risks involved

assess the students' needs

assess an applicant for eligibility

assess the impact of the changes

Traders … assessed the latest economic data …

—Orianna Rosa Royle

2

: to determine the rate or amount of (something, such as a tax, charge, or fine)

… will reduce the amounts of fines and fees assessed at sentencing …

—Brianna Hoge

3

a

: to impose (something, such as a tax) according to an established rate

… in the past, the IRS only rarely assessed the penalty.

—Elliot Raphaelson

b

: to subject to a tax, charge, or levy

Every homeowner will be assessed a tax according to the value of the property.

… officials plan to assess back lot owners at 25% of the rate of frontage owners …

—Keith Matheny

4

: to make an official valuation of (property) for the purposes of taxation

Their property is assessed at $200,000.

5

sports : to charge (a player or team) with a foul or penalty

… the golfer failed to assess himself the penalty, signed his incorrect scorecard, and was disqualified …

—Sam Farmer

Synonyms of assess

• impose
• charge

Choose the Right Synonym for assess

estimate, appraise, evaluate, value, rate, assess mean to judge something with respect to its worth or significance.

estimate implies a judgment, considered or casual, that precedes or takes the place of actual measuring or counting or testing out.

estimated the crowd at two hundred

appraise commonly implies the fixing by an expert of the monetary worth of a thing, but it may be used of any critical judgment.

having their house appraised

evaluate suggests an attempt to determine relative or intrinsic worth in terms other than monetary.

evaluate a student's work

value equals appraise but without implying expertness of judgment.

a watercolor valued by the donor at $500

rate adds to estimate the notion of placing a thing according to a scale of values.

a highly rated restaurant

assess implies a critical appraisal for the purpose of understanding or interpreting, or as a guide in taking action.

officials are trying to assess the damage

Examples of assess in a Sentence

Cornell graduate student James Tanner spent three years in the early 1940s slogging southern swamps and bayous to assess where and how the species could be saved. By his reckoning, no more than twenty-four ivory-bills remained in the entire Southeast. —John Terborgh, New York Review of Books, 26 Apr. 2007

When the training staff determined that Everett had no mobility below his neck, Cappuccino was waved onto the field. He performed a quick battery of tests to assess the severity of the injury, squeezing various parts of Everett's body and asking him to respond. —Tim Layden, Sports Illustrated, 17 Dec. 2007

Tetlock found that his experts used a double standard: they were much tougher in assessing the validity of information that undercut their theory than they were in crediting information that supported it. —Louis Menand, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2005

Briefly, the way it works is this. Every time a hog is sold, the seller is assessed 40 cents per $100 of sale value to promote the consumption of pork. —Warren R. Ross, UU World, Fall 2005

After the hurricane, officials assessed the town's need for aid.

We need to assess whether or not the system is working.

Damage to the boat was assessed at $5,000.

The company was assessed $12 million in fines for polluting the river.

Recent Examples on the Web

Andrew Perloff and Paul Pabst assess the threat level for the teams in the AFC East, discussing how much Geno Smith elevates the Jets and how the Patriots' schedule affects their ceiling. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 10 Sep. 2026

China is set to release its latest official manufacturing purchasing managers' index as investors assess the outlook for factory activity, domestic demand and exports amid persistent pressure on the world's second-largest economy. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026

Bond yields across the globe have surged in recent weeks as traders brace for central bank rate hikes and assess the inflationary impact of higher oil prices. — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026

Concerns about the winter With Southern California still assessing the significant coastal damage from big waves and high tides in recent days, forecasters warned that more erosion was expected. — Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, probably from Medieval Latin assessus, past participle of assidēre, from Latin, to sit beside, assist in the office of a judge — more at assize

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for assess

• abbess
• abscess
• access
• address
• caress
• confess
• depress
• digress
• distress
• egress
• excess
• express

Kids Definition

assess

verb

as·​sess ə-ˈses 

a-

1

: to set the rate or amount of

the jury assessed damages of $5000

2

: to set a value on (as property) for tax purposes

a house assessed at $263,000

3

: to put a tax or charge on

the city assessed all car owners $25

4

: to find out or decide the importance, size, or value of

assess the problem

assessable

-ˈses-ə-bəl 

adjective

Legal Definition

assess

transitive verb

as·​sess ə-ˈses 

1

: to determine the rate or amount of (as a tax)

2

a

: to impose (as a tax) according to an established rate

b

: to subject to a tax, charge, or levy

each property owner was assessed an additional five dollars

3

: to make an official valuation of (property) for the purposes of taxation

assessable

ə-ˈse-sə-bəl 

adjective

assessment noun