assist
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to give aid or help.
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to be present, as at a meeting or ceremony.
noun
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Sports.
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Baseball. a play that helps to put out a batter or base runner.
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Basketball, Ice Hockey. a play that helps a teammate in gaining a goal.
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the official credit scored for such plays.
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a helpful act.
She finished her homework without an assist from her father.
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Machinery. an electrical, hydraulic, or mechanical means of increasing power, efficiency, or ease of use.
a luxury automobile equipped with assists for brakes, steering, windows, and seat adjustment.
verb
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to give help or support to (a person, cause, etc); aid
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to work or act as an assistant or subordinate to (another)
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ice hockey to help (a team-mate) to score, as by passing the puck
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archaic to be present; attend
noun
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the act of helping; aid; assistance
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baseball the act of a player who throws or deflects a batted ball in such a way that a team is enabled to put out an opponent
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sport
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a pass or other action by a player which enables another player to score a goal
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a credit given for such an action
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Related Words
See help.
Other Word Forms
- assister noun
- assistive adjective
- nonassister noun
- overassist verb
- reassist verb (used with object)
- unassisted adjective
- unassisting adjective
- well-assisted adjective
Etymology
Origin of assist
First recorded in 1505–15; from Latin assistere “to stand by, help,” from as- as- ( def. ) + sistere “to cause to stand, stop,” derivative of stāre “to stand” ( stand ( def. ) )
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.
In many parts of the country, older people need to sell their homes to cover the cost of assisted living or other types of care.
Shaw made nine of 11 shots, had four assists, three blocks and five steals while finishing with 20 points.
From Los Angeles Times
“AI didn’t just assist, it functioned as the operational team: writing exploits, building tools, automating exfiltration,” Gambit said.
From MarketWatch
He has two goals and four assists in those eight games since his return, yet for a man who has grown accustomed to the extraordinary, the key metric is where he is lacking.
From BBC
You should also get clarification about which tasks he expects you to have mastered and which tasks he doesn’t mind assisting you with or answering questions about.
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.
