assembly

noun

as·​sem·​bly ə-ˈsem-blē 

plural assemblies

1

: a company of persons gathered for deliberation and legislation, worship, or entertainment

an assembly of religious leaders

2

capitalized : a legislative body

specifically : the lower house of a legislature

3

: a meeting of a student body and usually faculty for administrative, educational, or recreational purposes

A school assembly was held in the auditorium.

4

a

: assemblage sense 1

an assembly of well-wishers

b

: assemblage sense 2

a place of public assembly

5

: a signal for troops to assemble or fall in

6

a

: the fitting together of manufactured parts into a complete machine, structure, or unit of a machine

the assembly of an automobile

b

: a collection of parts so assembled

7

: the translation of assembly language to machine language by an assembler

Synonyms

• assemblage
• conference
• congregation
• convocation
• gathering
• ingathering
• meeting
• muster

Examples of assembly in a Sentence

The parts are made in this factory and then shipped to another country for assembly.

the New York State Assembly

an assembly of armed men

School assemblies were usually held in the cafeteria.

Recent Examples on the Web

This version comes with the Fully Assembled Knob, which adds a nifty volume knob to the top right corner of the assembly. —Louryn Strampe, WIRED, 5 Apr. 2024

Ford is overhauling its assembly plant in Oakville, Ontario, that will build the three-row SUVs and said its commitment to the vehicles remains firm. —Detroit Free Press, 4 Apr. 2024

Lowe paid the landlord Hampton’s back rent and arranged the purchase of the entire assembly for the museum. —Jeff MacGregor, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024

Like many of the steel structures Serra worked with, the five plates composing the structure were fabricated in Germany and shipped to the site of the installation for assembly. —Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024

Not only have the Chinese increased their production of solar panels, but the United States tightened its tariffs to include Chinese panels shipped to Southeast Asian countries for final assembly. —Melissa Eddy, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024

Kenyan police are currently serving in Somalia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, a government report tabled in Kenya’s national assembly said. —Larry Madowo, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024

This can cause costly problems: In 2022, the discovery of a Chinese alloy in the assembly of F-35 fighter jets led to a production halt and investigation. —Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024

Caregivers will also appreciate that this dollhouse requires minimal assembly. —Maya Polton, Parents, 23 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English asemble, assemble "gathering, meeting, group gathered for a purpose, as a deliberative body," borrowed from Anglo-French asemblee, assemblee, noun derivative from feminine past participle of asembler, assembler "to come together, assemble"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing assembly

• assembly language
• assembly line
• general assembly
• house of assembly
• legislative assembly
• pre-assembly
• self-assembly

Kids Definition

assembly

noun

as·​sem·​bly ə-ˈsem-blē 

plural assemblies

1

: a body of persons gathered together (as to make laws or for discussion, worship, or entertainment)

2

capitalized : a governing body

especially : the lower house of a legislature

3

: the act of gathering together or state of being assembled

4

: a signal for troops to assemble

5

: a collection of parts that go to make up a complete machine, structure, or unit of a machine

6

: the translation of assembly language to machine language by an assembler

7

: a meeting of a student body and usually teachers for educational or recreational purposes

Legal Definition

assembly

noun

as·​sem·​bly

plural assemblies

1

a

: a company of persons collected together in one place usually for some common purpose

b

capitalized : a legislative body especially that makes up the lower house of a legislature see also general assembly, legislative assembly

2

: the act of coming together : the condition of being assembled see also unlawful assembly