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.
It asserted that widespread famines and mass starvation would doom huge swaths of mankind because the world’s population was growing too rapidly.
Iranian state media asserted that the women had been pressured to stay in Australia, and would be welcomed if they returned.
Countering this, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent asserted at the end of January that the "US always has a strong dollar policy".
From Barron's
He asserted that Costco had countered the tariffs to the best of its ability over the past year, and “in many cases” didn’t pass the full cost on to shoppers.
From Barron's
While Wood asserted that broad commercialization could still be decades away, the arguments in support of quantum are becoming harder to ignore.
From Barron's
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.
