assign

verb as·sign \ ə-ˈsīn \

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

assign counsel to the defendant

assign a value to the variable

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

—

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

Subjects will be randomly assigned to receive either the actual treatment or a sham therapy.

— meredith wadman, Science | AAAS, "Brain-altering magnetic pulses could zap cocaine addiction," 29 Aug. 2017
In 1965, during the Vietnam War, Adair was drafted and assigned to the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command in Panama.

— jeff maysh, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Cop Who Became a Robber," 22 Aug. 2017
New quarterbacks coach Ryan Day was assigned to work with Barrett on accuracy, placement of passes and throwing into coverage.

— mitch stacy, The Seattle Times, "Can JT Barrett pass better for Ohio State in 2017?," 18 Aug. 2017
The video above shows NASA 991, an F-14 assigned to the space organization's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Watch This F-14 Tomcat Spin Out of Control," 15 Aug. 2017
Grants will be assigned for innovative projects that give students an edge and jump-start to further learning.

— Post-Tribune, "Community calendar," 11 Aug. 2017
He was assigned as a radar technician to the USS Pasadena CL-65, which was part of Task Force 38 and then later TF 58, and participated in fights like the assault on Luzon and covered the landings on Iwo Jima.

— claude thompson, Cincinnati.com, "Jack Guggenheim saved the Western and Southern Open and Cincinnati tennis," 8 Aug. 2017
Admiral Keyes and Colonel Davy, the two British liaison officers assigned to the king and the Belgian military, also strongly defended the actions of Leopold and his army.

— Longreads, "Whose Fault Was Dunkirk?," 7 Aug. 2017
The driver of a heavily armed unit assigned to move plutonium around the country was pulled over, on the job, for drunken driving.

— michael lewis, vanityfair.com, "Why the Scariest Nuclear Threat May Be Coming from Inside the White House," 26 July 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.

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

See Words from the same year

assign Synonyms

Synonyms

entrust, charge, commission, task, trust

Antonyms

discharge, dismiss, expel, fire

Related Words

confer, impose; commit, confide, consign, delegate, recommend, relegate, repose; allocate, allot; authorize, empower, invest

Near Antonyms

begrudge, deny, deprive (of); keep, retain, stint, withhold; appropriate, arrogate, confiscate

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

Origin and Etymology of assign

see ¹assign

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

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

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assign

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assign

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ASSIGN Defined for Kids

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assign

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