assertion

noun as·ser·tion \ ə-ˈsər-shən , a- \

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

Jim Trotter, the president of the Pro Football Writers of America, took exception to Lockhart’s assertion that the league had tried to become more transparent.

— ken belson, New York Times, "The Battle-Scarred West Wing Veteran Scripting the N.F.L.’s Anthem Message," 29 Oct. 2017
Nance spent most of an hour-long hearing Monday questioning the prosecution about whether Mr. Trump’s assertion that the public knew his position on the case would affect views of Sgt.

— nancy a. youssef, WSJ, "Trump Ruined Bergdahl’s Chances for a Fair Sentence, Lawyers Argue," 23 Oct. 2017
That dovetails with Matthews’s assertion that postpeak struggles don’t come from kismet or one’s endorphins being out of whack, but rather from inside the players’ heads.

— mark bechtel, SI.com, "Will Record Win Streak Hurt Indians in the Postseason? Not Necessarily," 3 Oct. 2017
Trump senior adviser Kellyanne Conway went on NBC to defend her colleague's assertions, up to a point.

— gregory krieg, CNN, "The Trump White House is a really, really strange place," 29 Sep. 2017
But a cursory search of images from Prince’s public appearances over the last decade of his life bear Nelson’s assertion out.

— andy cush, Billboard, "Prince's Favorite Color Wasn't Purple, His Sister Says," 29 Aug. 2017
But others have been critical of the assertions made by Brazile.

— the tylt, cleveland.com, "Did the DNC cheat Bernie Sanders out of the Democratic nomination?," 2 Nov. 2017
But others have been critical of the assertions made by Brazile.

— the tylt, AL.com, "Did the DNC cheat Bernie Sanders out of the Democratic nomination?," 2 Nov. 2017
That assertion suggests, weirdly, that a decision in the present determines an event in the past: whether the photon split like a wave or took one path like a particle.

— adrian cho, Science | AAAS, "Quantum experiment in space confirms that reality is what you make it," 27 Oct. 2017

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.