assistant

noun as·sis·tant \ ə-ˈsi-stənt \

Definition of assistant

1 :a person who assists someone :helper; also :a person holding an assistantship

2 :a device or product that provides assistance

software assistants

personal digital assistant

— see ¹pda

—

assistant

adjective

See assistant defined for English-language learners

See assistant defined for kids

Examples of assistant in a Sentence

an assistant to the college president
an assistant to the store manager
a wealthy executive who has a personal assistant

Recent Examples of assistant from the Web

But Bezos and Nadella are concerned that keeping assistants from working together could hold them back.

— nick wingfield, The Seattle Times, "‘Cortana, open Alexa,’ Amazon says — and Microsoft agrees," 29 Aug. 2017
Gartner, another analysis firm, has projected that a quarter of all household requests will be made through voice assistants by 2019.

— hayley tsukayama, chicagotribune.com, "Samsung has a more advanced digital assistant than Bixby. But where is it?," 25 Aug. 2017
The eventual plan is for Walmart customers to also shop using the Google Assistant, the artificially intelligent software assistant found in smartphones running Google’s Android software.

— daisuke wakabayashi and michael corkery, New York Times, "Google and Walmart Partner With Eye on Amazon," 23 Aug. 2017
After a long hard day's work, Kim and her assistant, Stephanie Shepherd, made an all important snack stop.

— amy mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kim Kardashian Ate Ice Cream With Rainbow Sprinkles After Her Make-Up Masterclass," 20 Aug. 2017
Tilford began his service as an assistant pastor at St. Thomas of Canterbury in Chicago until 1971, also performing the same role at St. Maria Goretti in Schiller Park from 1974 to 1978.

— gerald porter jr., Daily Southtown, "John Tilford, a longtime Chicago priest, dies," 18 Aug. 2017
There was indeed one death over the weekend: that of Heather Heyer, a law assistant from Charlottesville, who was murdered by a Nazi sympathizer who'd made a special trip from Ohio for the alt-right rally.

— lilian min, Cosmopolitan, "President Trump Thought His "Both Sides" Comments Were Totally Fine, Naturally," 17 Aug. 2017
Miller hasn't visited Oregon yet, but is being recruited hard by former Alabama assistant Mario Cristobal, the Ducks' offensive coordinator.

— drew champlin, AL.com, "Why 2 schools are standing out for Jackson-Olin 4-star DL Coynis Miller," 11 Aug. 2017
Steve joined the staff as an assistant in 2010 and brought with him his family, namely his son to learn from his brother and the Highlanders’ staff.

— kyle williams, The Courier-Journal, "After cancer diagnosis, Floyd Central coach Brian Glesing shows few signs of weakness," 10 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'assistant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of assistant

see ¹assist

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

assistant Synonyms

Synonyms

adjunct, adjutant, aid, aide, apprentice, helper, coadjutor, deputy, helpmate, helpmeet, lieutenant, mate, sidekick

Related Words

attendant, handmaiden (also handmaid), maid, maidservant, scullion, servant; auxiliary, legman, subordinate, underling; employee (also employe), hand, help, hireling, laborer, swamper, worker; gal Friday, girl Friday; man Friday, right hand; aide-de-camp

ASSISTANT Defined for English Language Learners

assistant

noun

Definition of assistant for English Language Learners

: a person who helps someone; especially : a person whose job is to help another person to do work
: a person whose job is to help the customers in a store