assign
Americanverb (used with object)
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to give or allocate; allot.
to assign rooms at a hotel.
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to give out or announce as a task.
to assign homework.
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to appoint, as to a post or duty.
to assign one to guard duty.
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to designate; name; specify.
to assign a day for a meeting.
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to ascribe; attribute; bring forward.
to assign a cause.
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Law. to transfer.
to assign a contract.
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Military. to place permanently on duty with a unit or under a commander.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
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to select for and appoint to a post, etc
to assign an expert to the job
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to give out or allot (a task, problem, etc)
to assign advertising to an expert
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to set apart (a place, person, time, etc) for a particular function or event
to assign a day for the meeting
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to attribute to a specified cause, origin, or source; ascribe
to assign a stone cross to the Vikings
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to transfer (one's right, interest, or title to property) to someone else
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(also intr) law (formerly) to transfer (property) to trustees so that it may be used for the benefit of creditors
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military to allocate (men or materials) on a permanent basis Compare attach
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computing to place (a value corresponding to a variable) in a memory location
noun
Related Words
Assign, allocate, allot mean to apportion or measure out. To assign is to distribute available things, designating them to be given to or reserved for specific persons or purposes: to assign duties. To allocate is to earmark or set aside parts of things available or expected in the future, each for a specific purpose: to allocate income to various types of expenses. To allot implies making restrictions as to amount, size, purpose, etc., and then apportioning or assigning: to allot spaces for parking.
Other Word Forms
- assignability noun
- assignable adjective
- assignably adverb
- assigner noun
- misassign verb
- nonassigned adjective
- preassign verb (used with object)
- preassigned adjective
- reassign verb (used with object)
- self-assigned adjective
- unassigned adjective
- well-assigned adjective
Etymology
Origin of assign
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English assignen, from Old French assigner, from Latin assignāre; equivalent to as- + sign
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Corridor care is now so normalised in most hospitals that staff are assigned to it, like another ward.
From BBC
The airline said it would be contacting customers “proactively” about assigning them new flights once Israel’s airspace reopened.
From Los Angeles Times
Scott Pike was assigned to pick up the hoses from the Lachman fire.
From Los Angeles Times
Some organisms assign different amino acids to certain codons, some use more than the standard 20 amino acids, and multiple codons can correspond to the same amino acid.
From Science Daily
When we assign deeper intentions to a person’s actions, we might unnecessarily hurt our own feelings.
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
