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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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
By a vote of 144 in favor, 10 against, and 13 abstentions, the assembly approved the renewal, beginning October 12, 2026, as proposed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Second, it could chill freedom of speech and assembly.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
Sinn Féin assembly member Danny Baker said the "main thoroughfare was shut down by large groups of young people determined to cause chaos and destruction".
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
By the 2010s, China had firmly established itself as the world’s largest electronics assembly hub and consumer of semiconductors.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
The Abbot paced up and down before turning to the assembly.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he planned to attend the UN General Assembly in New York City this autumn, despite the city's mayor, Zohran Mamdani, making threats to arrest him.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
With Netanyahu’s annual trip to the United Nations General Assembly in September looming, it was time for the mayor to decide whether he would actually follow through with this.
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2026
The six candidates for United Nations secretary-general will debate Thursday in the symbolic General Assembly Hall, one week before the formal start of a selection process crucial to an organization in deep crisis.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
She added that "detailed proposals" will be brought forward before next year's Assembly election.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
We continued across the foyer to a dreamlike bank of windows, turned left up a pale flight of marble steps, left again, through two doorways, and into the Assembly Room.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
A compelling model comes from the burgeoning global movement of citizens’ assemblies — deliberative bodies in which a randomly selected, representative cross-section of the public is convened to consider complex policy questions.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
Meanwhile, whole school assemblies had been "abandoned" to avoid the hot hall, and staff were being sent home "straight away" on the bell, Judd added.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
Ryan said Emily received "structured routine, communication time, sensory-based play, interactive story time, whole-school assemblies, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, speech and language therapy".
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
It’s equipped with state-of-the-art amenities to host student performances and school assemblies, but also to train the next generation of theater technicians.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026
Annabelle looks over at Zach, at the profile she’s seen sitting next to her at elementary school assemblies and high school basketball games and the floor of his living room, playing Minecraft.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
