to come or bring together; collect or congregate
to fit or join together (the parts of something, such as a machine)
to assemble the parts of a kit
to run (a computer program) that converts a set of symbolic data, usually in the form of specific single-step instructions, into machine language
What does assemble mean? Assemble means to bring together in one place, as in I assembled all of the ingredients for a chocolate cake on the table. Assemble can also mean to put or fit things together, as in Ikea is known for selling furniture that you have to assemble. And assemble can mean to come together or meet up, as in The school staff assembled for a meeting. When used generally, assemble can be used as a synonym for words such as gather, collect, and amass. When used specifically, assemble often means gathering things to arrange them in a proper order or placement, as when you assemble all the parts to build a computer. Alternatively, assemble can mean to put things or parts together. This meaning is often used when referring to building or making something, as in Shontel will need to assemble several bookshelves using only a box of wooden planks. In this sense, assemble is often used to refer to fitting manufactured parts together to make a final product or device. For example, a person would assemble a Lego brick set by snapping the parts together. Both assembly and assemblage are used to refer to something that has been assembled, as in The president spoke to an assembly of world leaders. Example: She assembled a team of scientists so they could all work together on the secret project.
See gather. See manufacture.
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, from Old French assembler, from Vulgar Latin assimulāre (unrecorded) “to bring together,” from Latin as- as- + simul “together” ( cf. simultaneous) + -āre, infinitive verb suffix
First recorded in 1820–30; from French, past participle of assembler; see assemble
To assemble means to bring together, as in people or parts. The volunteers assembled to assemble the bikes for the needy kids. The U.S. Constitution guarantees in something in the Bill of Rights called "the right of assembly." This means that people are allowed to come together for any purpose they chose. In countries without this right, groups who assemble can be disbanded with the idea that they may be assembling a revolution.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Published in Nature Communications, the new study reveals how bacterial enzymes communicate with one another to assemble a family of closely related anti-cancer compounds.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026
I knew America was about to do what it often does, which is to assemble the suits, lawyer up and lean in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
He became the person who could call celebrities, assemble casts of stars, and create these huge social networks.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
It’s almost like when you watch the Talking Heads’ “Stop Making Sense” and you see them assemble the stage as the concert goes on.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
She sipped her tea while I tried to make my letters assemble into a word.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
But moments after taking off for a double assemblé to the left — a jump in which the legs assemble, or meet in the air — things went terribly wrong.
From New York Times ● Oct. 30, 2022
She loved "le jeu, les visites, les assemblés, les cadeaux, et les promenades, en un mot toutes les choses de plasir," and wished to marry to get free from the trammels of her home.
From Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 1 A Revised American Edition of the Reader's Handbook by Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham
He sits down to read or assembles more hunting equipment.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 6, 2026
Similarly, a newly issued report by the Government Accountability Office External link ought to quell concerns about the quality of employment data produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which assembles the monthly jobs report.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
Perry’s tangled love for her mother finds full expression in the film’s final act, in which she assembles musicians and backing vocalists to flesh out “What Lies With You,” written after her mother’s death.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
Once the complaint is filed, a team of investigators — described by D’Souza as including former FBI, CIA and National Security Agency officials — assembles an evidence file.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2026
The man behind the counter flips and assembles burgers at lightning speed, catering to the few but anxious stragglers.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
England formed a plan to hit Australia with pace and assembled arguably their most hostile attack in more than 50 years for the trip down under.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
By carefully reviewing decades of published research and comparing measurements collected at different temperatures, Lambie assembled a more complete picture of gallium's behavior.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
She found it “incredulous,” she said, that they had assembled all these allies only for the reporters to ask about other issues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
On Sunday the Journal reported that the White House had, in fact, assembled legal brains to examine how to get Balogun out of the red card and back on the pitch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
On Sunday morning, March 21, marchers assembled at Brown Chapel for the third time in two weeks.
From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman
Cinema seems to spring up wherever Mr. McElwee looks—in one quietly virtuoso sequence from just before his surgery, he films a neighbor assembling a large flower box and imagines it’s his own coffin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
With a bag of rotisserie chicken already on hand, all you have to do is shred a few pieces before assembling and cooking your flautas.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026
Analysts were cautiously optimistic, noting that Nike’s new Chief Executive, Elliott Hill, was naturally assembling his own team, with a fresh pair of eyes helping the company execute a new strategy.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
Monarch’s vehicles were supposed to be manufactured at a facility in Ohio owned by Foxconn, a Taiwanese electronics company known for assembling iPhones.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
Few birds were seen in their normal foraging activities or assembling in their usual roosts.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
