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assign

verb
as·​sign | \ ə-ˈsīn How to pronounce assign (audio) \
assigned; assigning; assigns

Definition of assign

 (Entry 1 of 2)

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 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
4a : 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.

assign

noun

Definition of assign (Entry 2 of 2)

: assignee sense 3 heirs and assigns
Other Words from assign Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about assign

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Other Words from assign

Verb

assignability \ -​ˌsī-​nə-​ˈbi-​lə-​tē How to pronounce assignability (audio) \ noun
assignable \ -​ˈsī-​nə-​bəl How to pronounce assignable (audio) \ adjective
assigner \ ə-​ˈsī-​nər How to pronounce assigner (audio) \ or assignor \ ˌa-​sə-​ˈnȯr How to pronounce assignor (audio) , ˌa-​ˌsī-​ , ə-​ˌsī-​ \ noun

Synonyms for assign

Synonyms: Verb

charge, commission, entrust (also intrust), task, trust

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Choose the Right Synonym for assign

Verb

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

Examples of assign in a Sentence

Verb

 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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

 During the 2020s companies across the rich world began to rely more heavily than ever on outsourced, temporary workers assigned via digital platforms. — The Economist, "Run, TaskRabbit, run: July 2030," 5 July 2018 The appeals board is typically the highest government authority on immigration law, but the attorney general has the power to assign cases to himself and set precedents. — The Washington Post, OregonLive.com, "Supreme Court upholds Ohio's purges of its voter rolls," 11 June 2018 Ask attendees for agenda items and assign ownership. — Steven G. Rogelberg, WSJ, "The Science of Better Meetings," 15 Feb. 2019 The overall ambience was that of a beautiful, elegant backyard party—made possible with long picnic tables and benches, no assigned seating, no fancy dishes or silverware, and plants at every turn. — Brooke Porter Katz, Harper's BAZAAR, "Ellen Bennett & Casey Caplowe's Wedding Was Outside-The-Box in Every Way," 14 Feb. 2019 Their statement noted DeWine’s support of the measure, which hasn’t yet been given a number or assigned to a legislative committee. — Kantele Franko, The Seattle Times, "Ohio abortion ‘heartbeat bill’ returns to Legislature," 11 Feb. 2019 Since there could be upward of 20 candidates vying for the Democratic nomination, Perez noted that early 2019 debates could be split into two consecutive nights, with candidates randomly assigned to each evening. — Li Zhou, Vox, "The Democratic National Committee just outlined its primary debate schedule for 2020," 20 Dec. 2018 The department soon asked for assistance from the DCI's internet crimes against children unit, to which Kedley is assigned. — Fox News, "Victims of Iowa coach can still come forward, agent says," 23 Oct. 2018 On Sunday, the New York Times reported that the Trump Administration is considering redefining gender as only that which is assigned at birth. — Megan Lasher, Seventeen, "Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming People WILL NOT Be Erased," 22 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

 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

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.

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First Known Use of assign

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for assign

Verb and Noun

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

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Statistics for assign

Last Updated

7 Mar 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for assign

The first known use of assign was in the 13th century

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More Definitions for assign

assign

verb
How to pronounce assign (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of assign

: 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

See the full definition for assign in the English Language Learners Dictionary

assign

verb
as·​sign | \ ə-ˈsīn How to pronounce assign (audio) \
assigned; assigning

Kids Definition of assign

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.

assign

transitive verb
as·​sign | \ ə-ˈsīn How to pronounce assign (audio) \

Legal Definition of assign

 (Entry 1 of 2)

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

Other Words from assign

assignability \ ə-​ˌsī-​nə-​ˈbi-​lə-​tē How to pronounce assignability (audio) \ noun
assignable \ ə-​ˈsī-​nə-​bəl How to pronounce assignable (audio) \ adjective
assignor \ ə-​ˈsī-​nər How to pronounce assignor (audio) \ noun

assign

noun

Legal Definition of assign (Entry 2 of 2)

: assignee

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More from Merriam-Webster on assign

Rhyming Dictionary: 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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