assets

[ as-ets ]

/ ˈæs ɛts /

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See synonyms for: assets / asset on Thesaurus.com

Definition of assets

plural noun

Finance. items or resources owned by a person, business, or government, as cash, notes and accounts receivable, securities, inventories, goodwill, fixtures, machinery, or real estate (opposed to liabilities): Infrastructure assets, such as telecommunications systems, are not as available or as reliable in developing countries.Depreciation applies only to tangible assets, which are the assets that exist in physical form, like vehicles, computers, etc.

Accounting. the items detailed on a balance sheet, especially in relation to liabilities and capital:The balance sheet lists assets and liabilities in order of liquidity; in other words, the assets most easily converted to cash are listed first.

Law. all property available for the payment of debts for a bankrupt or insolvent business or person, or the payment of legacies or debts for a deceased person:It is the job of the receiver to sell your assets and distribute the proceeds to your creditors.

Informal. parts of a person’s body seen as sexual or attractive, especially a woman’s breasts or buttocks: That slinky, shiny outfit really shows off her assets.

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Words nearby assets

assessment, assessment arrangements, assessor, asset, asset-backed fund, assets, asset-stripping, asset value, asseverate, asseveration, assez

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use assets in a sentence

The Patriot Act allows the Department of Justice to seize foreign bank assets in U.S. accounts.
Special Forces’ $77M ‘Hustler’ Hits Back|Kevin Maurer|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Authorities have seized more than $250 million in assets from businesses across Rome.
The Mayor Who Took Down the Mafia That Ruined Rome|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
However, since he was living at home, our income and assets disqualified him from SSI and Medicaid.
Medicaid Will Give You Money for At-Home Care, but You Might Wait Years|Elizabeth Picciuto|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was later sued by his lawyers in London for failing to pay $419,400 in counsel fees when his assets were frozen.
The Mysterious Death of the Art World’s Favorite Sheikh|Lizzie Crocker|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Just last week, a New Zealand court ruled he could no longer continue hiding his assets.
The Zillionaires Who Lost Everything|Tom Sykes|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For, to do this is to reduce its assets or fund for paying its indebtedness, which the law will not permit to be done.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
We found them paying full interest on the cost of construction, and sound assets of the country.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
These assets do not include new legislative buildings or other public works.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
Can you make out any schedule showing your exact assets and liabilities at the present time?
The Prime Minister|Anthony Trollope
I started as the son of a broken-down nobleman, my material assets being a trumpery title.
Through the Wall|Cleveland Moffett

British Dictionary definitions for assets

assets

/ (ˈæsɛts) /

pl n

accounting the property and claims against debtors that a business enterprise may apply to discharge its liabilities. Assets may be fixed, current, liquid, or intangible and are shown balanced against liabilitiesCompare liabilities

law the property available to an executor or administrator for settlement of the debts and payment of legacies of the estate of a deceased or insolvent person

any property owned by a person or firm

Word Origin for assets

C16 (in the sense: enough to discharge one's liabilities): via Anglo-French from Old French asez enough, from Vulgar Latin ad satis (unattested), from Latin ad up to + satis enough

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

assets

Definition of assets

Words nearby assets

Words related to assets

How to use assets in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for assets

Word Origin for assets