assert

play

verb as·sert \ə-ˈsərt, a-\

Definition of assert

transitive verb
1 : to state or declare positively and often forcefully or aggressively The suspect continued to assert his innocence.
2a : to demonstrate the existence of He wished to vindicate himself in some way, to assert his manhood. — James Joyceb : posit, postulate

assert oneself

: to speak or act in a manner that compels recognition especially of one's rights … she wants him to learn to assert himself with people in positions of authority. — Malcolm Gladwell

See assert defined for English-language learners

See assert defined for kids

Examples of assert in a Sentence

He asserted that there were spies in the government.
She asserted her independence from her parents by getting her own apartment.
The boss was reluctant to assert his authority over his employees.

Recent Examples of assert from the Web

The league, which asserted that there was no evidence the data had been accessed by the thief, ultimately avoided sanction by the Department of Health and Human Services for the breach.

— tom taylor, The MMQB, "Football’s Next Frontier: The Battle Over Big Data", 27 June 2017
Haggerty didn't analyze whether the ACLU had the right to intervene, and instead found that the DEA violated privacy rights asserted by the ACLU, the appeals panel's opinion said.

— maxine bernstein, OregonLive.com, "DEA does not need warrant to subpoena Oregon prescription drug information", 26 June 2017
Assistant state's attorneys Daniel Kleinhubert and Scott Turk asserted during the trial that evidence and witness testimony showed that Curtis purposefully and without provocation stabbed Blum that night.

— jim newton, Lake County News-Sun, "Man convicted in 'unprovoked' fatal stabbing of co-worker in Waukegan draws 40-year sentence", 23 June 2017
My child was screaming in fear, my husband (at this point, dealing with advanced brain cancer), leaped and grabbed Buster, flipped him on his back to assert dominance, and berated him.

— donna freydkin, Glamour, "This Is What It's Really Like to Love—and Lose—a 'Bad' Dog", 23 June 2017
Aristotle had even (wrongly) asserted that long, pointy eggs were female while rounder eggs were male.

— National Geographic, "The Surprising Link Between Egg Shape and Bird Flight", 22 June 2017
However, while responding to Miley Cyrus over the weekend, Stefano Gabbana asserted that Dolce & Gabbana's fashion has nothing to do with politics.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "This Dolce & Gabbana Model Protested the Brand on the Runway", 20 June 2017
UK asserted the violation occurred in part because turnover in the staff (all three assistants were replaced after the 2015-16 season) had led to a breakdown in communication.

— jon hale, The Courier-Journal, "Tickets for 'Last Chance U' star among UK's self-reported NCAA rules violations", 19 June 2017
Federal officials again asserted that East Chicago residents' desire to have a formal role in court proceedings related to the U.S.S. Lead Superfund site is coming too late.

— craig lyons, Post-Tribune, "Feds oppose East Chicago residents' role in lead cleanup court case", 14 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'assert'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of assert

Latin assertus, past participle of asserere, from ad- + serere to join — more at series

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First Known Use: circa 1604

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of assert

assert, declare, affirm, protest, avow mean to state positively usually in anticipation of denial or objection. assert implies stating confidently without need for proof or regard for evidence. asserted that modern music is just noise declare stresses open or public statement. declared her support for the candidate affirm implies conviction based on evidence, experience, or faith. affirmed the existence of an afterlife protest emphasizes affirming in the face of denial or doubt. protested that he really had been misquoted avow stresses frank declaration and acknowledgment of personal responsibility for what is declared. avowed that all investors would be repaid in full

synonyms see in addition maintain

ASSERT Defined for English Language Learners

assert

play

verb

Definition of assert for English Language Learners

: to state (something) in a strong and definite way
: to demand that other people accept or respect (something)

ASSERT Defined for Kids

assert

play

verb as·sert \ə-ˈsərt\

Definition of assert for Students

asserted

;

asserting

1 : to state clearly and strongly assert an opinion
2 : to make others aware of assert your independence
3 : to speak or act in a way that demands attention or recognition If you want people to listen, you have to assert yourself.