assistant

noun

as·​sis·​tant ə-ˈsi-stənt 

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 pda entry 1

assistant adjective

Synonyms

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

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 on the Web

Now, Amy Borghesi is charged with stealing cash from school fundraisers throughout her two-year employment as an administrative assistant at Murphy Elementary School, according to school officials and court documents filed on April 15. —Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2025

In October, Microsoft added support for Anthropic’s Sonnet model in its GitHub Copilot assistant, and weeks later, some programmers reported that Cursor was preferable to Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot. —Jordan Novet, CNBC, 17 Apr. 2025

In 2015, Tran was cast in Star Wars: The Last Jedi as Rose Tico, launching her from a job as an assistant at a recruiting firm to a public face for one of the most beloved science fiction franchises of all time. —James Factora, Them., 16 Apr. 2025

The newer Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4 never had any smart assistant features, despite being sold in as an upgrade to the original Sense and Versa 3. —Andrew Williams, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English assistent, borrowed from Anglo-French assistant, assistent, noun derivative of assistant, assistent, adjective, "assisting, helpful," from present participle of assister "to help, aid" — more at assist entry 1

Note: In the case of both this word and assistance Modern English has chosen the French form with -a- in the suffix rather than Latin -e-.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing assistant

• assistant professor
• personal digital assistant
• physician assistant
• physician's assistant
• sales assistant
• teaching assistant

Rhymes for assistant

• consistent
• existent
• insistent
• persistent
• resistant
• subsistent
• coexistent
• equidistant
• inconsistent
• nonexistent
• preexistent
• distant

Kids Definition

assistant

noun

as·​sis·​tant ə-ˈsis-tənt 

: a person who assists another : helper

assistant adjective