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

Assets subject to the tax would include publicly traded stocks, bonds, private business interests, intellectual property and art.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026

Assets grow tax-deferred and can be taken out tax-free if they are used for medical expenses.

From Barron's • Apr. 25, 2026

All we need is approval for the sale from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the Treasury agency that enforces sanctions against targeted foreign regimes like Venezuela.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

She was also part of WSJ teams that were awarded Pulitzer Prizes for national reporting on Elon Musk in 2025, and for the Capital Assets series in 2023.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Assets are mainly stores of expectations regarding future values.

From After the Rain : how the West lost the East by Vaknin, Samuel