assign

1 of 2

verb

as·​sign ə-ˈsīn 

assigned; assigning; assigns

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.

assignability

ə-ˌsī-nə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

assignable

ə-ˈsī-nə-bəl 

adjective

assigner

ə-ˈsī-nər 

noun

or assignor

ˌa-sə-ˈnȯr 

ˌa-ˌsī-,

ə-ˌsī-

assign

2 of 2

noun

: assignee sense 3

heirs and assigns

Synonyms

Verb

• task
• entrust

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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

The Mountain West Conference hired Willkie Farr & Gallagher to lead the investigation, and Heaphy was assigned to lead it. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 24 June 2025

Consider a few sample tasks assigned to the storage administrator today. —Nick Burling, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025

Noun

That goes a long way toward explaining why Zillow required that all 100 teams in the final round assign intellectual property rights for their software to the company. —IEEE Spectrum, 5 Jan. 2019

Agencies could be asked to maintain call hotlines or assign case managers, for example. —Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

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

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing assign

• pre-assign

Rhymes for assign

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• byline
• canine
• carbine

Kids Definition

assign

verb

as·​sign

ə-ˈsīn

1

: to give (as a title or right) to someone legally

2

: to pick for a specific use or job

assigned them to work in the kitchen

3

: to give out as a portion or task

parts in the play were assigned to each person

assign homework

4

: to give a certain quality, role, or importance to

events assigned to certain periods of history

assign number values to different letters

assignable

ə-ˈsī-nə-bəl

adjective

assigner

ə-ˈsī-nər

noun

or assignor

ə-ˈsī-nər;

ˌas-ə-ˈnȯ(ə)r,

ˌas-ˌī-,

ə-ˌsī-

assignment

ə-ˈsīn-mənt

noun

Legal Definition

assign

1 of 2 transitive verb

as·​sign ə-ˈsīn 

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

assignability

ə-ˌsī-nə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

assignable

ə-ˈsī-nə-bəl 

adjective

assignor

ə-ˈsī-nər 

noun

assign

2 of 2 noun

: assignee