ass

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈas 

1

: any of several hardy gregarious (see gregarious sense 1a) African or Asian perissodactyl mammals (genus Equus) smaller than the horse and having long ears

especially : an African mammal (E. asinus) that is the ancestor of the donkey

2

informal + impolite : a stupid, stubborn, or detestable person

a pompous ass

made an ass of himself

He was an ass to her, dissing her script (which he apparently lost), telling her women couldn't be artists and that she looked so much prettier with makeup on.

—Lauren Piester

—often compounded with a preceding adjective

Don't be a smart-ass.

ass

2 of 3

noun (2)

ˈas 

variants or arse

ˈas,

ˈärs 

1

a

informal + impolite : buttocks

—often used in emphatic reference to a specific person

Get your ass over here.

saved my ass

b

informal + impolite : anus

2

offensive : sexual intercourse

ass

3 of 3

adverb

informal + impolite

—used as a postpositive intensive especially with words of derogatory implication

fancy-ass

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• burro
• donkey
• jackass
• moke [British slang]

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, known as Daniels, the film is an emotionally complex family drama wrapped inside a kick-ass sci-fi epic. —Daron James, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2023

And that George Plimpton must undoubtedly have been a bad-ass rock’n’roll singer too. —Bart Bull, SPIN, 10 Feb. 2023

Head here and fill the void with American style breakfasts, great coffee and epic milkshakes – all whilst enjoying last night’s hockey on the TV. Don’t Miss: Their organic drip coffee is the best in Whistler, and the big-ass pancake is BIG. —Christie Fitzpatrick, Outside Online, 2 Feb. 2023

The cinematic clip pays homage to Quentin Tarantino’s early aughts revenge film of the same name, and features a cameo from Vivica A. Fox, who played the kick-ass character Vernita Green opposite Uma Thurman’s sword-wielding Bride. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Jan. 2023

As a case in point, Sony and Honda showed off a whole-ass electric car prototype during Sony’s CES presentation. —Jon Porter, The Verge, 5 Jan. 2023

This movie's wackadoodle energy never lets up, and the credit must be given to bad-ass director Kathryn Bigelow for flipping a traditional alpha-male movie on its head. —Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 4 Jan. 2023

The Italian wine brand Santa Margherita rented the space to launch a new rosé (distinctly not your roommate’s cheap-ass screw-top), and Holmes was the guest of honor! —Curbed, 30 Dec. 2022

Cleopatra Wong, a kick-ass Interpol agent known to have influenced some of Quentin Tarantino’s movies, is to be revived in an upcoming Asian TV series. —Patrick Frater, Variety, 1 Dec. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English assa, probably from Old Irish asan, from Latin asinus

Noun (2) and Adverb

Middle English ars, ers, from Old English ærs, ears; akin to Old High German & Old Norse ars buttocks, Greek orrhos buttocks, oura tail

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

circa 1920, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

ass

noun

ˈas

1

: any of several mammals resembling but smaller than the related horses and having a shorter mane, shorter hair on the tail, and longer ears

especially : donkey

2

sometimes vulgar : a stupid or stubborn person