assign

verb as·sign \ ə-ˈsīn \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of assign

transitive verb

1 : to transfer (property) to another especially in trust or for the benefit of creditors

2 a : to appoint to a post or duty

assigned them to light duty

assigned me two clerks

b : to appoint as a duty or task

assigns 20 pages for homework

3 : to fix or specify in correspondence or relationship : select, designate

assign counsel to the defendant

assign a value to the variable

Though assigned male at birth, she appears most comfortable and in her element wearing a skirt and high-heeled sandals when riding a big-wheel or playing with a tea set.
—Will Dean

4 a : to ascribe as a motive, reason, or cause especially after deliberation

b : to consider to belong to a specified period of time

Archaeologists assign the weapon to the eleventh century.

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assignability

play \-ˌsī-nə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

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assignable

play \-ˈsī-nə-bəl\ adjective

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assigner

play \ə-ˈsī-nər\ or assignor play \ˌa-sə-ˈnȯr, ˌa-ˌsī-, ə-ˌsī-\ noun

See assign defined for English-language learners

See assign defined for kids

Examples of assign in a Sentence

The teacher assigned us 50 math problems for homework!
She was assigned to the embassy in India.
The new teacher was assigned to the science laboratory.
The plane landed at its assigned gate.

Recent Examples of assign from the Web

She is currently assigned to work with athletes at Lawrence Technological University as an injury prevention specialist.

— lauren rao, m.ed., at, atc, Detroit Free Press, "7 common workout mistakes to avoid," 16 Apr. 2018
One first-grader recently discovered she had been assigned the same textbook used by country music star Blake Shelton, who is 41.

— matt pearce, latimes.com, "Around the U.S., protesting teachers see some gains in conservative states," 15 Apr. 2018
His teammates will include Alex Schoenborn and depending on where he's assigned next season, Joachim Blichfeld.

— samantha meese, OregonLive.com, "On the Portland Winterhawks: Same Time, Next Year," 14 Apr. 2018
On Election Day, voters would be able to choose between visiting a traditional polling place they are assigned to or going to a vote center open to all eligible voters.

— rebekah l. sanders, azcentral, "Voting in 2018 might go faster than ever before, county elections chief says," 11 Apr. 2018
Contreras has always known she was assigned the wrong gender at birth.

— khushbu shah and emanuella grinberg, CNN, "To live openly as a transgender woman, she had to flee. In the migrant caravan, she realized she wasn't alone," 11 Apr. 2018
Angone, a three-year veteran at that time, was surprised when he was assigned as the driver for the assistant deputy superintendent.

— Chicago Tribune, "Rage, riots, ruin," 9 Apr. 2018
Unfortunately, this change resulted in a downgrade of the fare class to which you were assigned.

— christopher elliott, USA TODAY, "Five things your airline should never say," 8 Apr. 2018
She had not been assigned a public defender at midday Friday.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "Police: Mom used kitchen knife to decapitate 7-year-old son," 6 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of assign

Middle English, from Anglo-French assigner, from Latin assignare, from ad- + signare to mark, from signum mark, sign

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

assign Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of assign

ascribe, attribute, assign, impute, credit mean to lay something to the account of a person or thing. ascribe suggests an inferring or conjecturing of cause, quality, authorship.

- forged paintings formerly ascribed to masters

attribute suggests less tentativeness than ascribe, less definiteness than assign.

- attributed to Rembrandt but possibly done by an associate

assign implies ascribing with certainty or after deliberation.

- assigned the bones to the Cretaceous period

impute suggests ascribing something that brings discredit by way of accusation or blame.

- tried to impute sinister motives to my actions

credit implies ascribing a thing or especially an action to a person or other thing as its agent, source, or explanation.

- credited his teammates for his success

assign

noun

Definition of assign

: assignee 3

heirs and assigns

Recent Examples of assign from the Web

IBT Media and its affiliates, successors, assigns, employees, agents, directors, officers and shareholders do not undertake or assume any duty to monitor our site for inappropriate or unlawful content.

— Newsweek, "Terms of Service," 14 Mar. 2018
Schools that are oversubscribed assign seats by lottery.

— kate taylor, New York Times, "City Announces Plan to Diversify Lower Manhattan Schools," 26 Oct. 2017

Origin and Etymology of assign

see ¹assign

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

ASSIGN Defined for English Language Learners

assign

verb

Definition of assign for English Language Learners

: to give someone a particular job or duty : to require someone to do a particular task
: to send (someone) to a particular group or place as part of a job
: to give out something : to provide someone with something

ASSIGN Defined for Kids

assign

verb as·sign \ ə-ˈsīn \

Definition of assign for Students

assigned; assigning

1 : to give out as a job or responsibility

Our teacher assigned homework in math.

2 : to give out to : provide

Each student is assigned a locker.

3 : to give a particular quality, value, or identity to

Assign a number to each picture.

Law Dictionary

assign

transitive verb as·sign \ ə-ˈsīn \

legal Definition of assign

1 : to transfer (property or rights) to another

the general practice by inventors of assigning patent rights
—J. K. Owens

2 : to appoint to a post or duty

assigned to represent the defendant

3 : to fix or specify in relationship or correspondence

a party may assign as error…a failure to give an instruction, if that party properly requested it
—Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 51

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assignability

play \ə-ˌsī-nə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

—

assignable

play \ə-ˈsī-nə-bəl\ adjective

—

assignor

play \ə-ˈsī-nər\ noun

assign

noun

legal Definition of assign

: assignee

Learn More about assign

See words that rhyme with assign Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for assign Spanish Central: Translation of assign Nglish: Translation of assign for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of assign for Arabic speakers

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assign

Definition of assign

assignability

assignable

assigner

Examples of assign in a Sentence

Recent Examples of assign from the Web

Origin and Etymology of assign

assign Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of assign

assign

Definition of assign

Recent Examples of assign from the Web

Origin and Etymology of assign

ASSIGN Defined for English Language Learners

assign

Definition of assign for English Language Learners

ASSIGN Defined for Kids

assign

Definition of assign for Students

Law Dictionary

assign

legal Definition of assign

assignability

assignable

assignor

assign

legal Definition of assign

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