assets

American  

[as-ets] / ˈæs ɛts /

plural noun

1. Finance.  items or resources owned by a person, business, or government, as cash, notes and accounts receivable, securities, inventories, goodwill, fixtures, machinery, or real estate (liabilities ).

   Infrastructure assets, such as telecommunications systems, are not as available or as reliable in developing countries.

   Depreciation applies only to tangible assets, which are the assets that exist in physical form, like vehicles, computers, etc.

2. Accounting.  the items detailed on a balance sheet, especially in relation to liabilities and capital.

   The balance sheet lists assets and liabilities in order of liquidity; in other words, the assets most easily converted to cash are listed first.

3. Law.  all property available for the payment of debts for a bankrupt or insolvent business or person, or the payment of legacies or debts for a deceased person.

   It is the job of the receiver to sell your assets and distribute the proceeds to your creditors.

4. Informal.  parts of a person’s body seen as sexual or attractive, especially a woman’s breasts or buttocks.

   That slinky, shiny outfit really shows off her assets.

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assets British  

/ ˈæsɛts /

plural noun

1. accounting the property and claims against debtors that a business enterprise may apply to discharge its liabilities. Assets may be fixed, current, liquid, or intangible and are shown balanced against liabilities Compare liabilities

2. law the property available to an executor or administrator for settlement of the debts and payment of legacies of the estate of a deceased or insolvent person

3. any property owned by a person or firm

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Etymology

Origin of assets

First recorded in 1300–50, for a previous sense; in phrase have assets “have enough (to pay obligations)”; asset ( def. )

Example Sentences

However, 80 years after the fall of the Third Reich, not all looted assets have been returned to the victims' descendants.

From Barron's

On Monday, Barrick announced it would explore an initial public offering of a subsidiary that would hold its premier North American gold assets.

From Barron's

The short-lived rebound came as Wall Street piled back into riskier assets, including technology stocks.

From Barron's

That’s when investors borrow money in Japanese Yen, which has lower interest rates than other currencies, before converting it into another currency to buy potentially high-yielding assets such as cryptocurrencies.

From Barron's

Funds that offer protection on the S&P 500 took in more than $10 billion in net inflows this year and now hold about $65.7 billion in total assets, according to FactSet.

From The Wall Street Journal