an assembling or coming together of a number of persons, usually for a particular purpose.
The principal will speak to all the students at Friday's assembly.
a group of persons gathered together, usually for a particular purpose, whether religious, political, educational, or social.
(often initial capital letter) a legislative body, especially the lower house of the legislature in certain states of the U.S..
a bill before the assembly; the New York State Assembly.
Military.
a signal, as by drum or bugle, for troops to fall into ranks or otherwise assemble.
the movement of forces, tanks, soldiers, etc., scattered by battle or battle drill, toward and into a small area.
the putting together of complex machinery, as airplanes, from interchangeable parts of standard dimensions.
Machinery. a group of machine parts, especially one forming a self-contained, independently mounted unit.
a number of people gathered together, esp for a formal meeting held at regular intervals
the act of assembling or the state of being assembled
the process of putting together a number of parts to make a machine or other product
machinery a group of mating components before or after fitting together
military
a signal for personnel to assemble, as by drum, bugle, etc
( as modifier )
an assembly area
the lower chamber in various American state legislatures See also House of Assembly legislative assembly National Assembly
short for General Assembly
What does assembly mean? An assembly is a gathering of people, usually for some specific reason, as in The preacher gave a sermon before the assembly. Assembly is used to refer to a group of people who have gathered together. Usually, the people have a reason to come together such as for religious, political, or social purposes. Assembly can also refer to the gathering or coming together of people, as in The principal organized an assembly of all of the parents. Assembly can also refer to a legislative body in which politicians gather to perform the political process. In this case, assembly is often capitalized when it’s a part of the name of the body, as in The bill was discussed by the California State Assembly. Lastly, assembly can refer to the act of putting something together or fitting parts together, as in Jorge helped his granddaughter with the assembly of the model airplane. Assembly comes from the verb assemble, which usually means to gather things or people together, as in The players assembled into a group huddle. Example: The police chief spoke to an assembly of citizens concerned about theft in the neighborhood.
See convention.
1275–1325; Middle English assemblee < Middle French, literally, (that which is) assembled, feminine past participle of assembler to assemble
Use the noun assembly to refer group of people meeting up for a mutual purpose, such as a church service. Often used to describing a gathering of people, the word assembly can also refer to putting something together, such as a machine or a piece of furniture. No matter if the individual components are people or objects, assembly implies a bringing together. You may be familiar with the term "freedom of assembly," which is considered a basic human right. It means that people are free to peacefully gather together to protest the government, to worship, to hold a public meeting . . . or even to play poker. This allows people to exchange information and pursue mutual goals.
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"It is the majority in the National Assembly that must govern," he said.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
The two outbreaks "are just the latest crises in our troubled world", WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the opening of the UN agency's annual decision-making World Health Assembly.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
Schoolteacher Tracey Schroeder, a Republican candidate for state Assembly, is unhappy about crime, open-air drug use and the slow rebuilding effort in the wake of the Palisades fire, which destroyed thousands of homes.
From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026
Hina Bokhari, leader of the Liberal Democrats group on the London Assembly, said the party was confident about how the council would be run in Richmond.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
Since these speeches were in part rehearsal for when, as the local Member of the Legislative Assembly, Comrade Pillai would address thronging millions, there was something odd about their pitch and cadence.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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.
