assist
Americanverb (used with object)
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assists,
present (3rd person singular)
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assisted,
past participle, past
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assisting
present participle
verb (used without object)
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assists,
present (3rd person singular)
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assisted,
past participle, past
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assisting
present participle
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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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assists
plural
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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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Synonym Usage
See help.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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assisternoun
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nonassisternoun
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overassistverb
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reassistverb (used with object)
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assistiveadjective
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unassistedadjective
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unassistingadjective
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well-assistedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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assistsimple
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assistssimple
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have assistedperfect
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has assistedperfect
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am assistingprogressive
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are assistingprogressive
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is assistingprogressive
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have been assistingperfect progressive
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has been assistingperfect progressive
Past
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assistedsimple
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had assistedperfect
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was assistingprogressive
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were assistingprogressive
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had been assistingperfect progressive
Future
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” ( see also stand ( def. ))
Explanation
You run up the field, pass the ball to the forward and she scores! It’s your third assist of the game. On and off the soccer field, to assist is to help or contribute. The English word assist came to us in the early 15th century from the French word assister, meaning to "to stand by or help.” The French word is pronounced "ah-sis-tay" and is not to be confused with "a sister." Even if your sister is helpful.
Vocabulary lists containing assist
Defense, Dribble, and Dunk: Basketball Lingo
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Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
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Herbert Hoover on "Rugged Individualism" (1928)
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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.
See Examples For:
Dumb luck and a last-minute assist from his less charismatic, bumbling pseudo-sibling finally get him into the spotlight.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
The Frenchman ghosts into dangerous advanced positions and carries open-play goal and assist threat as well as being good for defensive contributions and bonus points.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Hackers used a "hybrid model" that combined AI agents, such as the open-source AI agent platform OpenClaw, to assist in the attacks, the ministry said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Japan’s recent intervention to strengthen the yen without raising its own rates got a very rare assist from America.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
And if I ask you to assist, you will.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
The striker produced eight goals and four assists from 24 starts last season, and will look to stay ahead of Yoane Wissa for minutes coming into this campaign.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Heisenberg: Giles recorded eight assists during Hull's promotion campaign and remains capable of getting forward from left-back, however, he will potentially be competing with Matty Targett for regular starts in the team.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Garnacho comes in kindly priced, but played just 1,261 minutes last season, providing one goal and four assists.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Holly: Wilson sits among some high-profile signings for the club over the summer, with the former Fulham man producing 19 goal involvements last season, 10 goals and nine assists.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
I apologize to the bookseller—Joel, according to his name tag—and he tells me not to worry and assists me.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
A Russian tanker suffered serious damage to its hull while sailing along the Arctic route despite being assisted by an icebreaker, its insurer, AlfaStrakhovanie, said Thursday, adding that it paid out roughly $650,000.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
The legislation establishing a right to assisted dying for some adults suffering from an incurable condition was passed by parliament in July after years of debate.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
After the 2-2 draw with Brighton in April, in which Georginio Rutter scored a 95th-minute equaliser to dent Spurs' survival hopes, De Zerbi revealed he messaged Van Hecke, who assisted the goal.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Calmer winds and cooler temperatures assisted fire crews in their battle against the Spokane blazes Monday, but temperature are anticipated to climb back into the 90s by Wednesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
As flight engineer, she assisted the Soyuz TM-17 in reaching the Mir Space Station, where she spent five months.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
Video footage showed deputies assisting wildlife officials as they carried the tranquilized animal to a brown cage to transport it out of the area.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
He turned down assisting a professor with data analysis for a book, for instance, because it would have required substantial changes to his class schedule that would sidetrack his early graduation.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
They remain in custody, as well as a 38-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
In other words, to the extent bombing had an effect on the war, it was by assisting the ground war—not by shaping the course of the war from the sky on its own.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
‘Quite right,’ answered the dwarf, gathering up the cushions and courteously assisting Frodo back into his seat.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
