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assessment

American  
[uh-ses-muhnt] / əˈsɛs mənt /

noun

  1. the act of assessing; appraisal; evaluation.

  2. an official valuation of property for the purpose of levying a tax; an assigned value.

  3. an amount assessed as payable.


assessment British  
/ əˈsɛsmənt /

noun

  1. the act of assessing, esp (in Britain) the evaluation of a student's achievement on a course

  2. an amount determined as payable

  3. a valuation set on taxable property, income, etc

  4. evaluation; estimation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

assessment Cultural  
  1. The appraisal of property for the purposes of taxation.


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of assessment

First recorded in 1530–40; assess + -ment

Explanation

Assessment is a word you hear a lot around schools — an assessment is an evaluation, and one type of assessment is used to measure what someone knows or has learned. Tests and term papers can be assessment tools. More than just students are given assessments. You might bring your dad's plastic gnome collection to an expert for an assessment and find out it's worth all of $15.35. You might make a quick assessment of a sticky situation — say it's you, a tasty ham sandwich, and your hungry dog— and decide to run.

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Vocabulary lists containing assessment

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.

“The Board’s standard is stringent, involves numerous steps and use of validated risk assessment tools, including evaluation by forensic psychologists,” spokesperson Emily Humpal wrote in an email.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

Goldman Sachs’ research illustrates that while the stock market is closer to a dangerous bubble than it was a few months ago, an overall assessment of risk indicators is not that alarming.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

In recent weeks, Bass has offered her own critical assessment of Raman, saying the democratic socialist struggled to work closely with others — even her own allies.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

Norway, which has never had a nuclear plant, greenlit an impact assessment for a small modular reactor in March.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

Ignoring the captain’s assessment, Phillips had enlisted in the air corps, where he’d proven to be a born airman.

From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand

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