assert

American  

[uh-surt] / əˈsɜrt /

verb (used with object)

• asserts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• asserted,
  past participle,  past
• asserting
  present participle

1. 

   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

2. to maintain or defend (claims, rights, etc.).

   Synonyms:

   support, uphold

3. to state as having existence; affirm; postulate.

   to assert a first cause as necessary.

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idioms

1. assert oneself, to insist on one's rights, declare one's views forcefully, etc..

   The candidate finally asserted himself about property taxes.

assert British  

/ əˈsɜːt /

verb

1. to insist upon (rights, claims, etc)

2. (may take a clause as object) to state to be true; declare categorically

3. to put (oneself) forward in an insistent manner

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Synonym Usage

See declare. See maintain.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• asserter
  noun
• assertor
  noun
• misassert
  verb (used with object)
• overassert
  verb (used with object)
• preassert
  verb (used with object)
• reassert
  verb (used with object)
• assertible
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• asserting
  present
• asserted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• assert
  simple
• asserts
  simple
• have asserted
  perfect
• has asserted
  perfect
• am asserting
  progressive
• are asserting
  progressive
• is asserting
  progressive
• have been asserting
  perfect progressive
• has been asserting
  perfect progressive

Past

• asserted
  simple
• had asserted
  perfect
• was asserting
  progressive
• were asserting
  progressive
• had been asserting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will assert
  simple
• will have asserted
  perfect
• will be asserting
  progressive
• will have been asserting
  perfect progressive

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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” ( cf. series)

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Explanation

Asserting is all about standing up for what you believe. You might assert an opinion, your innocence, or even your authority over someone else. The verb assert can be used for both opinions and for oneself. When asked, you can politely assert your desire to go to the amusement park for your birthday. If no one listens to you, you can assert yourself and forcefully state that you really want to go to the amusement park for your birthday. If that fails, you should just take yourself to the amusement park for your birthday. And get better friends.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

assert asserts asserted asserting

Constructions like these suggest communities felt the need to protect themselves or assert power over strategic locations.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026

In Schoenbrun’s debut novel, “Public Access Afterworld,” the filmmaker takes a sizable risk, stripping away the meticulously crafted onscreen worlds to assert the dexterity of their prose.

From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026

Striving to pursue its “European way” on AI and assert regulatory leadership, Europe, by contrast, welcomed the call.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

I have a truth for you: Men are socialized to assert themselves and unabashedly pursue what they desire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

My own thoughts try to assert themselves within this noise.

From "Every Day" by David Levithan

To grow one of these blades, asserts Fifoot, is to "fight the laws of the universe".

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Binance asserts that it will cover the losses resulting from the hack.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

While “The Social Reckoning” might stand in the shadow of its formative predecessor, the film confidently asserts its own merit.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

Court monitor Kellie Wasko’s report asserts that the government remained largely out of compliance with the court’s order.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

In spirit, it asserts solidarity with the “least of these among us.”

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

The defence team also asserted that the prosecution's five-day cross-examination of Patterson was "unfair and oppressive", and that the Crown was inconsistent in its arguments about a motive.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

The latter simply asserted that they were “searching for Sasquatch.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

She has asserted that Venezuela will retain sovereignty over its natural resources and defended the choice of Betancourt.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026

Lula said the saint was "offended" by those who "do not respect" the religion of others, while Bolsonaro asserted his "respect for the faith of millions of Brazilians."

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

Each asserted a superior ancestral claim to the imperial throne.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

They issued a joint statement, asserting that the museum never set a specific target for native plants, but did not respond to the proposition.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Musk has often promoted Community Notes, calling it "awesome" and asserting that all users, including himself, were subject to being corrected by the crowd-sourced model.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

This is roughly analogous to me asserting that running headfirst into a telephone pole at a full sprint will not affect my health because I do not “intend” to concuss myself.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

OpenAI filed a legal response asserting that Apple filed a baseless trade secret theft lawsuit to hamper OpenAI’s recruiting and stall its AI work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Just as Burnham had feared, union leaders began using the future fair as a vehicle for asserting such goals as the adoption of a minimum wage and an eight-hour day.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

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Related Words

• affirm
• allege
• argue
• cite
• claim
• contend
• defend
• proclaim
• profess
• say
• stress
• uphold

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