Definition of assign
transitive verb
1 : to transfer (property) to another especially in trust or for the benefit of creditors
2a : to appoint to a post or duty assigned them to light duty assigned me two clerksb : to appoint as a duty or task assigns 20 pages for homework
3 : to fix or specify in correspondence or relationship assign counsel to the defendant assign a value to the variable
4a : to ascribe as a motive, reason, or cause especially after deliberationb : to consider to belong to a specified period of time Archaeologists assign the weapon to the eleventh century.
Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd
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
-
Lines had been drawn on maps, and detailed lists of personnel and assets, down to the instruments in army bands, had been assigned to each side.
-
The state of Israel maintains a military occupation of territories that were assigned to Palestinians by international law.
-
There are now five judges assigned to the Otay Mesa court.
-
Upon discovering the fighter, Russian Navy personnel assigned to the Northern Fleet organized the recovery operation.
-
Kang is an active duty air traffic controller assigned to the 25th Infantry Division at Wheeler Army Airfield in Hawaii.
-
The measure is expected to be assigned to the Public Safety Committee where its first hearing could be at end of the month.
-
As many as eight employees were to be assigned to trash collection/cleanliness at the Quad and Presidential Park sites combined. --
-
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or C.M.S., assign each state a set number of slots, roughly based on the number of nursing homes.
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
Synonym Discussion of assign
Origin and Etymology of assign
see 1assign
ASSIGN Defined for English Language Learners
assign
playDefinition 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
playDefinition 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
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
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
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up assign? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!