assert
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to state with assurance, confidence, or force; state strongly or positively; affirm; aver.
He asserted his innocence of the crime.
- Synonyms:
- maintain, avow, asseverate
- Antonyms:
- deny
-
to maintain or defend (claims, rights, etc.).
-
to state as having existence; affirm; postulate.
to assert a first cause as necessary.
idioms
verb
-
to insist upon (rights, claims, etc)
-
(may take a clause as object) to state to be true; declare categorically
-
to put (oneself) forward in an insistent manner
Related Words
Other Word Forms
- asserter noun
- assertible adjective
- assertor noun
- misassert verb (used with object)
- overassert verb (used with object)
- preassert verb (used with object)
- reassert verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of assert
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin assertus “joined to, defended, claimed,” past participle of asserere “to join to, defend,” from as- as- + serere “to connect” ( series )
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.
On the original, Dylan firmly asserts, but the arrangement here is a full-throated declaration and a celebration of the progress made at that point in history.
From Salon
“EPiC” follows Presley as he blazes through classics including “Little Sister,” slyly asserting his influence in rock by segueing into the Beatles’ “Get Back.”
There are opinion pieces galore claiming Fennell “got it all wrong,” video essays asserting that the film is “the worst adaptation of all time” and that Fennell should “apologize to Emily Brontë.”
From Salon
With Oslo asserting greater control, Slyunyaeva says Barentsburg has to seek Norway’s permission to even put a new coat of paint on its aging buildings.
The release included a statement from city manager Nancy Hunt-Coffey, who apologized for the inaccurate information but asserted that the city still had reason to shut down the event.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
