assign

American  

[uh-sahyn] / əˈsaɪn /

verb (used with object)

• assigns,
  present (3rd person singular)
• assigned,
  past participle,  past
• assigning
  present participle

1. to give or allocate; allot.

   to assign rooms at a hotel.

2. to give out or announce as a task.

   to assign homework.

3. to appoint, as to a post or duty.

   to assign one to guard duty.

4. to designate; name; specify.

   to assign a day for a meeting.

   Synonyms:

   determine, fix

5. to ascribe; attribute; bring forward.

   to assign a cause.

   Synonyms:

   offer, show, advance, allege, adduce

6. Law. to transfer.

   to assign a contract.

7. Military. to place permanently on duty with a unit or under a commander.

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verb (used without object)

• assigns,
  present (3rd person singular)
• assigned,
  past participle,  past
• assigning
  present participle

1. Law. to transfer property, especially in trust or for the benefit of creditors.

noun

• assigns
  plural

1. Law. Usually assigns. a person to whom the property or interest of another is or may be transferred; assignee.

   my heirs and assigns.

assign British  

/ əˈsaɪn /

verb

1. to select for and appoint to a post, etc

   to assign an expert to the job

2. to give out or allot (a task, problem, etc)

   to assign advertising to an expert

3. to set apart (a place, person, time, etc) for a particular function or event

   to assign a day for the meeting

4. to attribute to a specified cause, origin, or source; ascribe

   to assign a stone cross to the Vikings

5. to transfer (one's right, interest, or title to property) to someone else

6. (also intr) law (formerly) to transfer (property) to trustees so that it may be used for the benefit of creditors

7. military to allocate (men or materials) on a permanent basis Compare attach

8. computing to place (a value corresponding to a variable) in a memory location

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noun

1. law a person to whom property is assigned; assignee

Synonym Usage

Assign, allocate, allot mean to apportion or measure out. To assign is to distribute available things, designating them to be given to or reserved for specific persons or purposes: to assign duties. To allocate is to earmark or set aside parts of things available or expected in the future, each for a specific purpose: to allocate income to various types of expenses. To allot implies making restrictions as to amount, size, purpose, etc., and then apportioning or assigning: to allot spaces for parking.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• assignability
  noun
• assigner
  noun
• misassign
  verb
• preassign
  verb (used with object)
• reassign
  verb (used with object)
• assignable
  adjective
• nonassigned
  adjective
• preassigned
  adjective
• self-assigned
  adjective
• unassigned
  adjective
• well-assigned
  adjective
• assignably
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• assigns
  plural

Participles

• assigning
  present
• assigned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• assign
  simple
• assigns
  simple
• have assigned
  perfect
• has assigned
  perfect
• am assigning
  progressive
• are assigning
  progressive
• is assigning
  progressive
• have been assigning
  perfect progressive
• has been assigning
  perfect progressive

Past

• assigned
  simple
• had assigned
  perfect
• was assigning
  progressive
• were assigning
  progressive
• had been assigning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will assign
  simple
• will have assigned
  perfect
• will be assigning
  progressive
• will have been assigning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of assign

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English assignen, from Old French assigner, from Latin assignāre; equivalent to as- + sign

Explanation

To assign is to specify something or someone for a specific purpose. If your sisters fight over whose turn it is to sit in the front seat, your parents may have to assign turns. The verb assign also means to transfer legal rights. You assign the deed to your house to new owners when you sell it. If you sort things into categories by characteristics, you are assigning them categories. When you make a budget, you assign each expense a category. Food and housing, for example, may be essential living expenses and medicine and doctor's visits may be health care. Chocolate gets its own category.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

assign assigns assigned assigning

If we rely on AI to narrate our experience—interpret our numbers, synthesize our sensations, assign meaning to our setbacks—we may weaken our own capacity to make sense of it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

Years later, after Ruane became a scientist who sometimes has the opportunity to assign official names to newly recognized reptile species, she returned to that old magazine interview.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

The report was heavily criticized for failing to assign blame or identify specific evacuation failures, but officials have said that wasn’t the goal of the McChrystal Group review.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

It’s also important not to assign any meaning to a boss’s actions before talking to them, said Tessa West, a psychology professor at New York University and author of the book “Jerks at Work.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

“Or perhaps Mrs. Baker will assign selected lines to you. Do you think that you might enjoy learning a line or two?”

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt

The Federal Communications Commission assigns and oversees licenses for radio and television broadcast frequencies.

From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026

With the U.S. leading in research, technology and branding, it assigns production of sophisticated components to its skilled workers and sends intermediate goods to Mexico or Canada for finishing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

“What we object to is a review that misstates the plan’s contents and reaches beyond the issues the Education Code assigns to the county, all while threatening escalation.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Morningstar assigns a fair-value estimate of $35.20 for Southwest shares; they currently trading at roughly 30% above that.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026

When I can find no more surfaces to wipe and have finally exhausted the supply of rooms, Maddy assigns me to do the kitchen floor.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

For reasons the report doesn’t explain, the paramedics squad operated independently and was not assigned to the fire incident.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

I found my assigned seat near the front of the orchestra section, and right next to Billy Porter’s sister.

From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026

Within those groups, they were randomly assigned to consume either 10 grams of creatine monohydrate or a placebo each day.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

A former war reporter assigned to help plan a morale-boosting national festival faces the absurdity inherent in projects such as a cake-baking competition and a collection of uplifting poetry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

The last overflight before the Paris summit was assigned to Francis Gary Powers.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

They ended up splitting the class and assigning more students to other teachers, she said.

From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026

The bill, called the Community Newsroom Employment and Workforce Sustainability Act, works by assigning a “job retention credit” of $20,000 per journalist for up to five positions, and after that $15,000 for every additional journalist.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

People keep assigning him symbolic roles: first Muslim senator, Muslim socialist, proof of Democratic radicalism, proof of Muslim political progress.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Jensen said assigning liability to the AI labs would force the companies into action.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

After Seabiscuit’s extraordinarily easy win in Tijuana, the Bay Meadows racing secretary had proposed assigning him 136 pounds, but Howard had intercepted him and charmed 3 pounds off of his horse’s impost.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• accredit
• allow
• appoint
• attach
• authorize
• charge
• commit
• designate
• draft
• elect
• empower
• entrust
• hire
• name
• nominate
• refer
• select