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.
He explains that younger generations are more comfortable in asserting their needs and setting boundaries.
From BBC
"It is a way of asserting women's place in a world and a system that remains deeply patriarchal," stressed Centeno, an expert in non-verbal communication.
From Barron's
Success could yield more receptive audiences for China’s efforts to expand its economic reach, assert its interests and challenge the U.S. for global leadership.
Karl Marx asserted that “philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world . . . the point, however, is to change it.”
What quickly became nonnegotiable was the fact that no princely state could go rogue and assert its own independence.
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.
