assess

verb

as·sess | \ ə-ˈses

, a-\

assessed; assessing; assesses

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 rate

b : 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

Other Words from assess Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about assess

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Synonyms & Antonyms for assess

Synonyms

charge, exact, fine, impose, lay, levy, put

Antonyms

remit

Choose the Right Synonym for assess

estimate, appraise, evaluate, value, rate, assess mean to judge something with respect to its worth or significance. estimate implies a judgment, considered or casual, that precedes or takes the place of actual measuring or counting or testing out. estimated the crowd at two hundred appraise commonly implies the fixing by an expert of the monetary worth of a thing, but it may be used of any critical judgment. having their house appraised evaluate suggests an attempt to determine relative or intrinsic worth in terms other than monetary. evaluate a student's work value equals appraise but without implying expertness of judgment. a watercolor valued by the donor at $500 rate adds to estimate the notion of placing a thing according to a scale of values. a highly rated restaurant assess implies a critical appraisal for the purpose of understanding or interpreting, or as a guide in taking action. officials are trying to assess the damage

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 on the Web

After assessing his wounds, Archie tries to bandage himself up a little, but his loss of blood leads him to enter a hallucinogenic state. — Alison Caporimo, Seventeen, "Did Archie Really Die On "Riverdale"'s Mid-Season Premiere?," 17 Jan. 2019 The European Union warned Trump to assess the potential impact of abandoning a 40-year-old arms control agreement. — Fox News, "Treaty exits and extensions top Trump adviser's Moscow talks," 23 Oct. 2018 Fitbit devices only store data for a week unless backed up to a computer, further complicating the ability to consider long term data when trying to assess if an irregular heart rhythm is a consistent problem over time. — Jordyn Hermani, Indianapolis Star, "Fishers teen discovers she has heart defect after wearing Fitbit," 14 July 2018 The borrower, likely the city or urban renewal agency, could pay back its loan by assessing a fee of one penny for every gallon of fuel that moves through the new terminal. — Sven Berg, idahostatesman, "A 60-year-old fuel terminal could leave Boise’s Bench. Here’s what could replace it.," 11 July 2018 Obviously, Maryland is not a neutral party in assessing whether its employees broke rules or laws. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Why Maryland Receiving FBI Subpoenas Should Worry Other College Programs, Basketball Players," 7 July 2018 Rodgers starts by assessing the dog’s mood and energy level that day. — Jayme Moye, Outside Online, "How to Take Any Dog on an Adventure," 27 June 2018 Consider the problem posed by the abundance of scales for assessing gaming disorders, many of which overweight the clinical relevance of time spent gaming. — Robbie Gonzalez, WIRED, "WHO Calls Gaming Disorder an Illness. Experts Say Not So Fast," 19 June 2018 That includes the small fee assessed by ICANN for each registration. — Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica, "Cloudflare gets into registrar business with wholesale domains and free privacy," 28 Sep. 2018

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.