assess

verb

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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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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 The next step was to assess the samples, using mass spectrometry and other technologies. — Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, "The Rogue Experimenters," 18 May 2020 Each case is unique, and each one will be assessed based on the facts and the law. — Zachary Halaschak, Washington Examiner, "Charges dropped against Florida pastor who held church services despite coronavirus restrictions," 16 May 2020 However, the company is assessing all retail locations to determine what’s best for each store. — Alexandria Burris, Indianapolis Star, "Shopping malls could reopen on Saturday. Here are the changes you can expect.," 30 Apr. 2020 Over the remainder of this year, NASA will assess the technical readiness of the various approaches to deliver both a lander to lunar orbit and the lander technology itself. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "NASA awards lunar lander contracts to Blue Origin, Dynetics—and Starship," 30 Apr. 2020 Fees are assessed monthly, starting at $60 for one one-hour class each week. — Deborah Martin, ExpressNews.com, "Blue Star Contemporary in San Antonio launches new podcast, The Artist’s Digest," 29 Apr. 2020 As during the current pandemic, few saw what was coming, and few correctly assessed the long-term consequences. — Arash Javanbakht, The Conversation, "Lethargic global response to COVID-19: How the human brain’s failure to assess abstract threats cost us dearly," 27 Apr. 2020 The State Department has assessed that Russia, China and Iran are mounting increasingly intense and coordinated disinformation campaigns against the U.S. relating to the outbreak of the new coronavirus, according to an internal report. — Jessica Donati, WSJ, "U.S. Adversaries Are Accelerating, Coordinating Coronavirus Disinformation, Report Says," 22 Apr. 2020 To wit: the nonstop onslaught of news to digest, protocols to learn, terrain to assess, customs to memorize: gloves, masks — no masks, yes masks — six feet of distance, wash your hands, don’t touch your face, never shake someone’s hand ever again. — Robert Burke Warren, Longreads, "No Time Like the Present," 21 Apr. 2020

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.