assertion

noun as·ser·tion \ ə-ˈsər-shən , a- \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: assertion in a Sentence

Definition of assertion

: the act of asserting or something that is asserted: such as

a : insistent and positive affirming, maintaining, or defending (as of a right or attribute)

an assertion of ownership/innocence

b : a declaration that something is the case

He presented no evidence to support his assertions.

See assertion defined for kids

Examples of assertion in a Sentence

the assertion that all men have certain unalienable rights is set forth in the Declaration of Independence
made the unlikely assertion that gravity affects light

Recent Examples of assertion from the Web

Pruitt and other Trump administration officials have questioned those findings but have never produced any research backing up their assertions.

— scott waldman, Scientific American, "Judge Orders EPA to Produce Science Behind Pruitt’s Warming Claims," 5 June 2018
The assertion that Earhart’s bones have been found fits in with a long pattern of TIGHAR claiming that some new artifact or lead was about to solve the mystery for good.

— carl hoffman, Outside Online, "Has Amelia Earhart Really Been Found?," 3 Apr. 2018
In a six-page decision authored by Justice Robin Brody, the Supreme Court found that the Court of Appeals erred in allowing the test results to show a driver was above the legal limit without allowing the defense to challenge the assertion.

— john sowell, idahostatesman, "Idaho man claimed he wasn’t driving drunk. Judge erred by not allowing him to argue that. | Idaho Statesman," 6 Mar. 2018
However, our most recent piece of official information regarding the launch, a statement released this morning by SpaceX president and COO Gwynne Shotwell, seems to contradict the assertion that any part of the Falcon 9 launch failed.

— jay bennett, Popular Mechanics, "SpaceX Zuma Mission Just Keeps Getting Weirder," 9 Jan. 2018
However, that second assertion is complicated by Georgia law, which does not consider felony murder an intentional act, Panitch said.

— christian boone, ajc, "In wrongful death suit, Diane McIver estate zeroes in on best friend," 25 May 2018
The Trump administration believes that far from forcing a U.S. retreat, Iranian arrogance and overreach in the Middle East have created a golden opportunity for the assertion of American power.

— walter russell mead, WSJ, "Trump, Iran and American Power," 14 May 2018
What is most striking about this affair is that the story leaked to the media has no evidence to support it, other than the assertions of people who have every reason to lie about it.

— paul campos, Daily Intelligencer, "Theory: Playboy Model Who Got $1.6 Million Had Affair With Trump, Not Broidy," 8 May 2018
If that assertion was true, this essay would be very short.

— christof koch, Scientific American, "What Is Consciousness?," 8 May 2018

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