Synonyms Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for assign on Thesaurus.com to give or allocate; allot: to assign rooms at a hotel. to give out or announce as a task: to assign homework. to appoint, as to a post or duty: to assign one to guard duty. to designate; name; specify: to assign a day for a meeting. to ascribe; attribute; bring forward: to assign a cause. Law to transfer: to assign a contract. Military to place permanently on duty with a unit or under a commander. Show More
verb (used without object) Law to transfer property, especially in trust or for the benefit of creditors. Show More
Usually assigns. Law a person to whom the property or interest of another is or may be transferred; assignee : my heirs and assigns. Show More
Origin of assign 1250–1300; Middle English assignen <
Old French assigner <
Latin assignāre. See
as- ,
sign Related forms as·sign·er ; Chiefly Law as·sign·or [uh -sahy-nawr , as-uh -nawr ] /ə saɪˈnɔr, ˌæs əˈnɔr/ noun mis·as·sign , verb non·as·signed , adjective pre·as·sign , verb (used with object) pre·as·signed , adjective re·as·sign , verb (used with object) self-as·signed , adjective un·as·signed , adjective well-as·signed , adjective Synonym study 1 . 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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for assign appoint ,
authorize ,
hire ,
elect ,
name ,
nominate ,
empower ,
attach ,
charge ,
draft ,
allow ,
accredit ,
commit ,
entrust ,
refer ,
select ,
designate ,
distribute ,
grant ,
give Examples from the Web for assign Contemporary Examples of assign Now the Kremlin will assign more loyal people to rule the region, mostly military leaders.
When we assign a primitive “not me” status to another individual or social group, it can—and does—take us down a destructive path.
Other folks can debate and assign blame for “who lost Iraq.”
Renee Richardson knows she'll likely never be able to assign blame for her son's death—she's done fighting for that.
Girls are directed through several pages of this until they are asked to assign the guy a series of pre-decided adjectives.
Historical Examples of assign With what cheerfulness will I assign over this envied estate!
It is perhaps too early to assign him his place in American literature.
And if it be impossible to assign any, this will serve to confirm our suspicion.
I have met with the word in French authors, but never could assign any idea to it.
Between thirty and fifty years, it was impossible to assign an age to him.
British Dictionary definitions for assign to select for and appoint to a post, etc to assign an expert to the job to give out or allot (a task, problem, etc) to assign advertising to an expert to set apart (a place, person, time, etc) for a particular function or event to assign a day for the meeting to attribute to a specified cause, origin, or source; ascribe to assign a stone cross to the Vikings to transfer (one's right, interest, or title to property) to someone else (also intr) law (formerly) to transfer (property) to trustees so that it may be used for the benefit of creditors military to allocate (men or materials) on a permanent basis Compare attach (def. 6) computing to place (a value corresponding to a variable) in a memory location Show More
law a person to whom property is assigned; assignee Show More
Derived Forms assignable , adjective assignability , noun assignably , adverb assigner , noun Word Origin for assign C14: from Old French assigner, from Latin assignāre, from signāre to mark out
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
Word Origin and History for assign v. c.1300, from Old French assiginer (13c.) "assign, set (a date, etc.); appoint legally; allot," from Latin assignare "to mark out, to allot by sign, assign, award," from ad- "to" (see ad- ) + signare "make a sign," from signum "mark" (see sign ). Main original use was in English law, in transferences of personal property. General meaning "to fix, settle, determine, appoint" is from c.1300. Related: Assigned ; assigning .
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
