assets

American  

[as-ets] / ˈæs ɛts /

plural noun

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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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assets British  

/ ˈæsɛts /

plural noun

1. 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 liabilities Compare liabilities

2. 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

3. any property owned by a person or firm

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Etymology

Origin of assets

First recorded in 1300–50, for a previous sense; in phrase have assets “have enough (to pay obligations)”; see asset ( def. )

Explanation

Your assets are things you have that are valuable. Money, property, and skills are all assets. When you talk about assets, you're talking about things that are good to have: they're worth something or they're useful. Money is certainly an asset. A house you own is an asset. If you're an employer, good employees are assets to the company. Personal qualities can be assets, too: if you're smart, brave, or even just good looking, consider it an asset.

Example Sentences

The letter also outlined examples of “scarcity marketing” techniques that increase demand through limited-quantity assets and time-based reward to drive sales of virtual items, driving a false sense of urgency.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Thames Water said it would "continue to work closely with the Environment Agency to understand our impact at the locations and where upgrades to our assets may be needed."

From BBC • May 21, 2026

“By aligning interests across these assets, we can enable better and faster project decisions,” Kjetil Hove, Equinor’s executive vice president for exploration and production Norway, said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

Many have been drawn by the fact that these markets are open 24/7, allowing traders to speculate on the price of oil and other real-world assets even when markets are closed over the weekend.

From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026

Morgan Stanley had done as much as any Wall Street firm to persuade the rating agencies to treat consumer loans as they treated corporate ones—as assets whose risks could be dramatically reduced if bundled together.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis