assign

verb

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as·sign | \ ə-ˈsīn

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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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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Both officers, assigned to the Northern District, remain on administrative leave, Nadeau said. — Jessica Anderson, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore Police release footage from shooting in which officers killed man outside Rite Aid," 12 Nov. 2019 Alexander Vindman, an Army officer assigned to the National Security Council, and Fiona Hill, a former White House adviser on Russia. — chicagotribune.com, "Trump impeachment inquiry: Live hearings begin this week. Here’s what you need to know.," 11 Nov. 2019 Alexander Vindman, an Army officer assigned to the National Security Council, both described firsthand views of extraordinary scenes during a single day of meetings with Ukraine officials at the White House. — Lisa Mascaro, Time, "Impeachment Panel Transcripts Give Inside Look Into Ukraine Meetings at the White House," 8 Nov. 2019 The officer involved in the altercation has been assigned to non-enforcement duty pending the investigation, the affiliate reported. — Cnn Staff, CNN, "Hundreds gather in Brooklyn to protest the NYPD after a violent subway video," 2 Nov. 2019 Residents can report by calling the HABD main office, contacting the officer assigned to their area or by submitting a tip anonymously by calling 205-521-0761. — Anna Beahm | Abeahm@al.com, al, "Expect a new kind of policing at Birmingham housing," 28 Oct. 2019 As has been the case for other St. Paul mayors, Carter has a police officer assigned to him for security. — Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, "St. Paul Mayor Carter receives threatening, racist messages on trash debate; police investigating," 22 Oct. 2019 Henry has no choice but to go on the run, bringing the young agent who was assigned to surveil him, Danny (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), along because, well, there has to a potential love interest in a movie like this, so why not? — Lindsey Bahr, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Review: The tech is advanced, but ‘Gemini Man’ is lifeless," 8 Oct. 2019 The sergeant, who is assigned to Fort Benning in Georgia, also was charged with prevention of authorized seizure of property and two specifications of dereliction of duty, according to a release from the Army. — CBS News, "Army sergeant charged in crash that killed West Point cadet during training exercise," 26 Sep. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The Harvard historian Serhii Plokhy’s 2018 book on Chernobyl reconstructs the sequence of events and assigns blame. — Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, "What HBO’s “Chernobyl” Got Right, and What It Got Terribly Wrong," 4 June 2019 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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Last Updated

28 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Assign.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assign. Accessed 6 December 2019.

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More Definitions for assign

assign

verb

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

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

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