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 Questions of where to assign blame have arisen as police forces and residents are overwhelmed with what feels like a never-ending stream of violence. — Joseph Simonson, Washington Examiner, "Violent crime in cities presents new-year challenge for Democratic mayors," 26 Dec. 2020 Yet to even begin shopping for new jeans, we are commonly asked to assign ourselves to one of two fashion genders: men’s or women’s. — Steff Yotka, Vogue, "The Future of Retail Is Genderless," 25 Nov. 2020 As for the four new police officers, Marshall said the plan is to assign two to traffic control and two to the special response team. — Suzanne Baker, chicagotribune.com, "Naperville council wants 4 new cops, social worker and sustainability staffer added to 2021 budget," 24 Nov. 2020 While teachers tried to assign them to the same seats in each class, students had a way of shifting seats to be closer to their friends, broadening the potential exposure. — Heather Vogell, ProPublica, "Two School Districts Had Different Mask Policies. Only One Had a Teacher on a Ventilator.," 23 Nov. 2020 But human rights groups say the practice has long been widespread in Xinjiang, where many detainees are recruited into programs that assign them to work in factories, on cotton farms or in textile mills. — Ana Swanson, New York Times, "U.S. Restricts Chinese Apparel and Tech Products, Citing Forced Labor," 14 Sep. 2020 Nobody has ever given a real job to an uncrewed warship before, and the Navy must grapple with what missions to assign it. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The Navy May Use Robo-Ships to Hunt and Kill Enemy Subs, Terminator-Style," 14 Sep. 2020 Make lists of chores, errands and tasks and assign them to household members. — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, "Parents and other caregivers are more stressed and in poorer health due to pandemic, report finds," 9 Sep. 2020 Participants will provide their number to the pharmacy, which will then assign them to receive either the vaccine or the placebo; participants won't know which. — Mark Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "UW seeks 2,000 people for Phase III clinical trial of potential COVID-19 vaccine," 31 Aug. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Editors for Timpone’s network assign work to freelancers dotted around the United States and abroad, often paying $3 to $36 per job. — Arkansas Online, "COST OF COVERAGE," 24 Oct. 2020 Editors for Timpone’s network assign work to freelancers dotted around the United States and abroad, often paying $3 to $36 per job. — Arkansas Online, "COST OF COVERAGE," 24 Oct. 2020 Editors for Timpone’s network assign work to freelancers dotted around the United States and abroad, often paying $3 to $36 per job. — Arkansas Online, "COST OF COVERAGE," 24 Oct. 2020 Editors for Timpone’s network assign work to freelancers dotted around the United States and abroad, often paying $3 to $36 per job. — Arkansas Online, "COST OF COVERAGE," 24 Oct. 2020 Editors for Timpone’s network assign work to freelancers dotted around the United States and abroad, often paying $3 to $36 per job. — Arkansas Online, "COST OF COVERAGE," 24 Oct. 2020 Editors for Timpone’s network assign work to freelancers dotted around the United States and abroad, often paying $3 to $36 per job. — Arkansas Online, "COST OF COVERAGE," 24 Oct. 2020 Editors for Timpone’s network assign work to freelancers dotted around the United States and abroad, often paying $3 to $36 per job. — Arkansas Online, "COST OF COVERAGE," 24 Oct. 2020 Editors for Timpone’s network assign work to freelancers dotted around the United States and abroad, often paying $3 to $36 per job. — Davey Alba And Jack Nicas New York Times, Star Tribune, "As local news dies, a pay-for-play network rises in its place," 18 Oct. 2020

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

14 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Assign.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assign. Accessed 16 Jan. 2021.

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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