ASSIGN Synonyms: 146 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'assign' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of assign are ascribe , attribute , credit , and impute . While all these words mean "to lay something to the account of a person or thing," assign implies ascribing with certainty or after deliberation. // assigned the bones to the Cretaceous period

Q: In what contexts can 'ascribe' take the place of 'assign'?

The synonyms ascribe and assign are sometimes interchangeable, but ascribe suggests an inferring or conjecturing of cause, quality, authorship. // forged paintings formerly ascribed to masters

Q: How is 'attribute' related to other words for 'assign'?

Attribute suggests less tentativeness than ascribe , less definiteness than assign . // attributed to Rembrandt but possibly done by an associate

Q: Where would 'credit' be a reasonable alternative to 'assign'?

In some situations, the words credit and assign are roughly equivalent. However, 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

Q: When is it sensible to use 'impute' instead of 'assign'?

While in some cases nearly identical to assign , impute suggests ascribing something that brings discredit by way of accusation or blame. // tried to impute sinister motives to my actions

assign

verb

ə-ˈsīn

Definition of assign next

as in to task

to give a task, duty, or responsibility to assigned the class with the task of finding something in the state constitution they felt needed changing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to allot

to give as a share or portion each new employee is assigned a cubicle and a computer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to cede

to give over the legal possession or ownership of assigned all rights to and royalties from the song to the Boy Scouts

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

expropriate

as in to appoint

to pick (someone) by one's authority for a specific position or duty the mayor assigned the panel with the task of luring a major sports franchise to the city

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word assign different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of assign are ascribe, attribute, credit, and impute. While all these words mean "to lay something to the account of a person or thing," assign implies ascribing with certainty or after deliberation.

assigned the bones to the Cretaceous period

In what contexts can ascribe take the place of assign?

The synonyms ascribe and assign are sometimes interchangeable, but ascribe suggests an inferring or conjecturing of cause, quality, authorship.

forged paintings formerly ascribed to masters

How is attribute related to other words for assign?

Attribute suggests less tentativeness than ascribe, less definiteness than assign.

attributed to Rembrandt but possibly done by an associate

Where would credit be a reasonable alternative to assign?

In some situations, the words credit and assign are roughly equivalent. However, 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

When is it sensible to use impute instead of assign?

While in some cases nearly identical to assign, impute suggests ascribing something that brings discredit by way of accusation or blame.

tried to impute sinister motives to my actions

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of assign Educators can assign Study Notebooks right in Google Classroom. —

Dan Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 The idea for Furious sprang from a challenge Emmy Rossum assigned herself a few summers ago to watch old movies whose loglines especially appealed to her. —

Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 June 2026 In 1873, Custer was assigned to lead the Seventh Cavalry at Fort Abraham Lincoln, near present-day Bismarck, North Dakota. —

ABC News, 25 June 2026 Roseman has final say on these decisions, and the Eagles have a scout assigned to the IPP program. —

Zach Berman, New York Times, 24 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for assign

Recent Examples of Synonyms for assign

Verb

The court heard that Carpuic was a middleman tasked with facilitating payment — which never came — and recruiting someone to film the fires.

— Emma Burrows, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Appiolaza’s exit comes amid a broader restructuring and follows the appointment of Riccardo Bagolin as general manager on June 3, who has been tasked with steering a turnaround for the Aeffe group alongside chief restructuring officer Stefano Falliti.

— Madeleine Schulz, Vogue, 19 June 2026

Definition of task

Verb

This thing is seriously massive, featuring way too many goodies to list in the space allotted here.

— Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 25 June 2026
The government is required to allot 90 days between the dissolution of the Knesset and the election, so the latest possible day the parliament can be dissolved is July 29.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 23 June 2026

Definition of allot

Verb

As Jimmy is looking for options to simultaneously cut costs and jettison the property entirely, Sydney is trying to figure out how to do a dinner service with a pantry that’s nearly empty and a former mentor/partner/colleague, in Carmy, who is very bad at actually ceding control.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2026
And then there was Rafael Devers’ failure to cede first base after a ninth inning walk on Sunday.

— Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

Definition of cede

Verb

Alite was appointed to the council by Englishtown's mayor, Daniel Francisco, in May 2025.

— Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 20 June 2026
Claude Guillemot handed the day-to-day running of Guillemot Corporation to his son Valentin Guillemot in July 2025, appointing him CEO, but remained attached to the company in the role Chairman of the Board of Director and continued to guide its overall direction.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 June 2026

Definition of appoint

Verb

After, Roelker earned the confidence of Musk and a key lieutenant, Mark Juncosa, who began entrusting him with increasingly important projects, including flight software for Falcon Heavy, Crew Dragon, early versions of Starship, and, of course, the Starlink Internet constellation.

— Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 22 June 2026
The advisors entrusted with guiding substantial fortunes must combine technical expertise, strategic foresight and an ability to serve clients whose financial lives often span businesses, generations and continents.

— Riley de León, CNBC, 22 June 2026

Definition of entrust

Verb

The council eventually approved allocating $20,000 to the town’s sustaining grant program and allowed applicants to amend their proposal to account for the increase funds.

— Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 24 June 2026
That discipline extends to how Nasdaq allocates capital across time horizons.

— Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 24 June 2026