asset

American  

[as-et] / ˈæs ɛt /

noun

1. a useful and desirable thing or quality.

   Organizational ability is an asset.

2. a single item of ownership having exchange value.

   Our summer home is an asset we're not willing to sell.

3. Digital Technology. one of the media components that, taken together, comprise all of the elements of a video game, such as the environments, objects, character art and animation, and sound design.

   All of the game assets are downloaded to your hard drive during the install, so slow load times are local and indicate a problem with your drive.

4. (in intelligence and information gathering) a person followed or spied upon to obtain information, who may be consenting, forced, or unaware of being used.

   They threatened to release a catalog of virtually every CIA asset within the Soviet Union.

5. Military. a physical resource, such as a piece of equipment, vehicle, or building.

6. assets. see assets.

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asset British  

/ ˈæsɛt /

noun

1. anything valuable or useful See also assets

   experience is their main asset

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asset Cultural  

1. A possession that can be turned into cash to cover liabilities.

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Discover More

Commonly, the term denotes anything of value.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• assetless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of asset

First recorded in 1525–35; back formation from assets, in phrase have assets, literally, “have enough (to pay obligations),” from Anglo-French, Old French asez “enough,” from unattested Vulgar Latin ad satis “to sufficiency”; see also assai ¹

Explanation

An asset is something you have that is positive. It can mean a piece of property, a piece of equipment, an ability, or even a quality. "Her facility with math is an asset when it comes to figuring out the restaurant tab. She is an asset to the group." A person's overall financial picture is determined by lining up everything they own in the asset column, and everything they owe in the liability (or debit) column.

Example Sentences

They would face asset freezes, as well as travel bans and director disqualifications where appropriate, it added.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

Then again, as we have seen with private-credit funds lately, a heavy discount to NAV can reflect investors’ discomfort with certain asset classes, especially ones that lack liquid markets, such as loans to smaller companies.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

Some limited partners have become concerned in recent years that asset managers are using NAV loans to return capital to fund investors, a move that could signal slowing revenue or trouble within a fund’s portfolio.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

Perps can also look similar to total return swaps, which similarly move up and down in price based on the price of an underlying asset.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

"Shipped off to the Spice Isles to protect the southern waters, now that I'm no longer such a valued asset," she says, then turns left.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• aid
• benefit
• credit
• resource
• service