assignment

American  

[uh-sahyn-muhnt] / əˈsaɪn mənt /

noun

1. something assigned, as a particular task or duty.

   She completed the assignment and went on to other jobs.

   Synonyms:

   job, obligation

2. a position of responsibility, post of duty, or the like, to which one is appointed.

   He left for his assignment in the Middle East.

   Synonyms:

   job, obligation

3. an act of assigning; appointment.

4. Law.

   1. the transference of a right, interest, or title, or the instrument of transfer.

   2. a transference of property to assignees for the benefit of creditors.

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assignment British  

/ əˈsaɪnmənt /

noun

1. something that has been assigned, such as a mission or task

2. a position or post to which a person is assigned

3. the act of assigning or state of being assigned

4. law

   1. the transfer to another of a right, interest, or title to property, esp personal property

      assignment of a lease

   2. the document effecting such a transfer

   3. the right, interest, or property transferred

5. law (formerly) the transfer, esp by an insolvent debtor, of property in trust for the benefit of his creditors

6. logic a function that associates specific values with each variable in a formal expression

7. history a system (1789–1841) whereby a convict could become the unpaid servant of a freeman

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Synonym Usage

See task.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonassignment
  noun
• misassignment
  noun
• reassignment
  noun

Etymology

Origin of assignment

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English assignament, from Medieval Latin assignāmentum. See assign, -ment

Explanation

Whether you’re an international spy with a new mission or a high school student with math homework — when you get an assignment, you’d better do it! An assignment is a task that someone in authority has asked you to do. The word assignment is just the noun form of the common verb assign, which you use when you want to give someone a duty or a job. When you assign something, that something is called an assignment. The word can also refer to the act of distributing something. If you are distributing new office furniture at work, you might say, “Assignment of the new chairs will begin tomorrow.”

Example Sentences

He seems to think the assignment was to do a sort of Peter Sellers turn, as though under the impression that the project was a broad comedy like last year’s “Fackham Hall.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

Last summer, she worked as the Baltimore Banner’s general assignment sports intern as a member of the Sports Journalism Institute’s 2025 class.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

Utility man Santiago Espinal, whom the Dodgers claimed on waivers and broke out in spring training, was designated for assignment to make room for the recovered utility man on the roster.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

This spring, she asked Kanjorski and others to submit their chatlog history with each assignment, so she could evaluate how they interacted with AI.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

With that in mind, he had a special assignment for the person he trusted most, his brother Bobby.

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

Related Words

• appointment
• chore
• drill
• duty
• homework
• job
• position
• post
• practice
• stint