assist

American  

[uh-sist] / əˈsɪst /

verb (used with object)

• assists,
  present (3rd person singular)
• assisted,
  past participle,  past
• assisting
  present participle

1. to give support or aid to; help.

   Please assist him in moving the furniture.

   Synonyms:

   promote, back, befriend, abet, sustain

   Antonyms:

   frustrate, hinder

2. to be associated with as an assistant or helper.

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verb (used without object)

• assists,
  present (3rd person singular)
• assisted,
  past participle,  past
• assisting
  present participle

1. to give aid or help.

2. to be present, as at a meeting or ceremony.

noun

• assists
  plural

1. Sports.

   1. Baseball. a play that helps to put out a batter or base runner.

   2. Basketball, Ice Hockey. a play that helps a teammate in gaining a goal.

   3. the official credit scored for such plays.

2. a helpful act.

   She finished her homework without an assist from her father.

3. 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.

assist British  

/ əˈsɪst /

verb

1. to give help or support to (a person, cause, etc); aid

2. to work or act as an assistant or subordinate to (another)

3. ice hockey to help (a team-mate) to score, as by passing the puck

4. archaic to be present; attend

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noun

1. the act of helping; aid; assistance

2. 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

3. sport

   1. a pass or other action by a player which enables another player to score a goal

   2. a credit given for such an action

Synonym Usage

See help.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• assister
  noun
• nonassister
  noun
• overassist
  verb
• reassist
  verb (used with object)
• assistive
  adjective
• unassisted
  adjective
• unassisting
  adjective
• well-assisted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• assists
  plural

Participles

• assisting
  present
• assisted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• assist
  simple
• assists
  simple
• have assisted
  perfect
• has assisted
  perfect
• am assisting
  progressive
• are assisting
  progressive
• is assisting
  progressive
• have been assisting
  perfect progressive
• has been assisting
  perfect progressive

Past

• assisted
  simple
• had assisted
  perfect
• was assisting
  progressive
• were assisting
  progressive
• had been assisting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will assist
  simple
• will have assisted
  perfect
• will be assisting
  progressive
• will have been assisting
  perfect progressive

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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. ))

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

assist assists assisted assisting

The Aid Coalition has launched a non-partisan initiative, called Fly & Vote, to assist Israelis abroad who want to return for the election.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

They are cute, helpful little fellas who want to assist you in digesting the world, one bite at a time.

From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026

Saka did not achieve that tally against the French visitors, but shook off illness to come off the bench and assist Eberechi Eze's strike that made it 2-0, before rolling in his side's third goal.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Michael, you’ve said that Andrew cold-texted you about “Rooster” with an assist from Elton John.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

“If you would like to assist me, you shall do so, sir.”

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling

To make the all-time top 10 Premier League super subs, players need to have consistently delivered throughout their careers, providing goals and assists.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

In just his second preseason game, Reaves was doing his thing, scoring 28 points on 10-for-18 shooting, including four for seven on three-pointers, with seven assists and four rebounds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

Getting in really good positions, defensively solid, but also offers you a lot from assists and goals.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

Reaves had eight points on two-for-seven shooting, eight assists and five rebounds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

In the second half, Felix scored eight points, all on fast breaks, and had a couple of assists.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

Now, as Kodiak assisted autonomy operator, he can remotely honk the horn of an autonomous truck on the road, if needed, from the command center.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

"Here in Palangkaraya City, we should be assisted not only in the form of rice or basic food supplies... there should be safe houses from haze."

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

To be quite honest, I had singled her out at the assisted living facility for her good looks and “normality.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

A nursing-home room could cost $100,000 a year or $60,000 or more for assisted living, depending on where you live.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

In the summer of that year, Halley visited Flamsteed in London, and he assisted him with observations, including two lunar eclipses on 27 June and 21 December.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Navy are assisting with the rescue effort, Sappey said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

The IOM said it was assisting 64 survivors at a migrant centre in Obock.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

Colin Porter who has been assisting the clean up in South Tyneside said: "We are very concerned about the wildlife populations, we've seen birds eating them and we know the fish have too."

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Fingerprint experts from the United States and Singapore are also assisting.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Rather than assisting in our stated goals—productivity, creativity, long-term thought—the tools can undermine those crucial aims.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

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Related Words

• aid
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• expedite
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• support
• sustain
• take care of

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