Definition of assess
transitive verb
1 : to determine the rate or amount of (something, such as a tax, charge, or fine)
2a : to impose (something, such as a tax) according to an established rateb : to subject to a tax, charge, or levy Every homeowner will be assessed a tax according to the value of the property.
3 : to make an official valuation of (property) for the purposes of taxation Their property is assessed at $200,000.
4 : to determine the importance, size, or value of assess a problem assess the damage
5 sports : to charge (a player or team) with a foul or penalty
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Examples of assess in a Sentence
Cornell graduate student James Tanner spent three years in the early 1940s slogging southern swamps and bayous to assess where and how the species could be saved. By his reckoning, no more than twenty-four ivory-bills remained in the entire Southeast. —John Terborgh, New York Review of Books, 26 Apr. 2007
When the training staff determined that Everett had no mobility below his neck, Cappuccino was waved onto the field. He performed a quick battery of tests to assess the severity of the injury, squeezing various parts of Everett's body and asking him to respond. —Tim Layden, Sports Illustrated, 17 Dec. 2007
Tetlock found that his experts used a double standard: they were much tougher in assessing the validity of information that undercut their theory than they were in crediting information that supported it. —Louis Menand, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2005
Briefly, the way it works is this. Every time a hog is sold, the seller is assessed 40 cents per $100 of sale value to promote the consumption of pork. —Warren R. Ross, UU World, Fall 2005
After the hurricane, officials assessed the town's need for aid.
We need to assess whether or not the system is working.
Damage to the boat was assessed at $5,000.
The company was assessed $12 million in fines for polluting the river.
Recent Examples of assess from the Web
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When patients were assessed after 28 weeks, those in the program scored higher on a standard measure of basic skills.
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The consequences of choosing a particular option are often not fully assessed in advance.
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Assessing the fate of the Republican plan to roll back Obamacare, which is now officially dead, Trump expresses pride in the fact that 48 Republican senators had not officially announced their opposition as of last night.
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Last year, the mall buildings were assessed at $69.2 million and paid $420,942 in property taxes, and the township received $117,864 of that.
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A report from April shows the city has focused most of its enforcement efforts on educating merchant organizations about the new law, with no penalties assessed in response to 44 complaints because employers agreed to begin paying the higher wage.
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Interviews with children now living in southern Turkey and northern Iraq who attended ISIS training camps and schools—as well as the therapists and security officials scrambling to assess them—
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The conference sought to assess current national-security concerns through the lens of the Iron Lady’s policies.
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During the administration of President George W. Bush, travel to Cuba was highly restricted and fines were assessed against travelers who violated travel regulations.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'assess.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of assess
Middle English, probably from Medieval Latin assessus, past participle of assidēre, from Latin, to sit beside, assist in the office of a judge — more at assize
Synonym Discussion of assess
Other Economics Terms
ASSESS Defined for English Language Learners
assess
playDefinition of assess for English Language Learners
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: to make a judgment about (something)
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: to officially say what the amount, value, or rate of (something) is
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: to tax or charge (someone or something) : to require (a person, business, etc.) to pay a particular amount of money
ASSESS Defined for Kids
assess
playDefinition of assess for Students
assessed
;assessing
1 : to make a judgment about The school assessed the students' progress each year.
2 : to decide on the rate, value, or amount of (as for taxation) The jury assessed damages of $5000. The house was assessed at $140,000.
3 : to put a charge or tax on The city assessed all car owners a fee.
assessor
\-ər\ noun a tax assessorHeadscratcher for assess
Assesses is the longest word in English that contains only one consonant repeated over and over again.
Law Dictionary
assess
playLegal Definition of assess
1 : to determine the rate or amount of (as a tax)
2a : to impose (as a tax) according to an established rate b : to subject to a tax, charge, or levy each property owner was assessed an additional five dollars
3 : to make an official valuation of (property) for the purposes of taxation
assessment
nounLearn More about assess
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See words that rhyme with assess Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for assess Spanish Central: Translation of assess Nglish: Translation of assess for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of assess for Arabic speakers
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