assist
Americanverb (used with object)
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assists,
present (3rd person singular)
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assisted,
past participle, past
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assisting
present participle
verb (used without object)
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assists,
present (3rd person singular)
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assisted,
past participle, past
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assisting
present participle
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to give aid or help.
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to be present, as at a meeting or ceremony.
noun
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assists
plural
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Sports.
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Baseball. a play that helps to put out a batter or base runner.
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Basketball, Ice Hockey. a play that helps a teammate in gaining a goal.
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the official credit scored for such plays.
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a helpful act.
She finished her homework without an assist from her father.
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Machinery. an electrical, hydraulic, or mechanical means of increasing power, efficiency, or ease of use.
a luxury automobile equipped with assists for brakes, steering, windows, and seat adjustment.
verb
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to give help or support to (a person, cause, etc); aid
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to work or act as an assistant or subordinate to (another)
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ice hockey to help (a team-mate) to score, as by passing the puck
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archaic to be present; attend
noun
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the act of helping; aid; assistance
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baseball the act of a player who throws or deflects a batted ball in such a way that a team is enabled to put out an opponent
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sport
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a pass or other action by a player which enables another player to score a goal
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a credit given for such an action
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Synonym Usage
See help.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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assisternoun
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nonassisternoun
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overassistverb
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reassistverb (used with object)
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assistiveadjective
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unassistedadjective
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unassistingadjective
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well-assistedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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assistsimple
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assistssimple
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have assistedperfect
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has assistedperfect
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am assistingprogressive
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are assistingprogressive
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is assistingprogressive
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have been assistingperfect progressive
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has been assistingperfect progressive
Past
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assistedsimple
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had assistedperfect
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was assistingprogressive
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were assistingprogressive
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had been assistingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of assist
First recorded in 1505–15; from Latin assistere “to stand by, help,” from as- as- ( def. ) + sistere “to cause to stand, stop,” derivative of stāre “to stand” ( see also stand ( def. ))
Explanation
You run up the field, pass the ball to the forward and she scores! It’s your third assist of the game. On and off the soccer field, to assist is to help or contribute. The English word assist came to us in the early 15th century from the French word assister, meaning to "to stand by or help.” The French word is pronounced "ah-sis-tay" and is not to be confused with "a sister." Even if your sister is helpful.
Vocabulary lists containing assist
Defense, Dribble, and Dunk: Basketball Lingo
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Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
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Herbert Hoover on "Rugged Individualism" (1928)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"This new information has resulted in a significant surge of law enforcement assets to Alaska, and I have assigned several attorneys in my office to assist in the matter as well."
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
The offensive numbers are unremarkable: no points, one shot, one assist and a turnover.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Emergency services were working on the ground “to assist impacted people and guarantee security,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Since joining United from RB Leipzig in a deal worth £73.7m in August 2025, Sesko has made 38 appearances in all competitions, contributing 14 goals and one assist.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
Give copies to the newspapers in these cities to comment upon, it will assist the sale....”
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
According to the NBA, Ball averaged 20.1 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game during his final season in Charlotte, appearing in 72 games.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
He spent a large chunk of last season with the Toffees under a similar arrangement, scoring twice and providing six assists in 20 appearances, before sustaining a season-ending foot injury in January.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
He also had four rebounds and two assists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
His Premier League output for Tottenham was phenomenal season upon season, gradually adding assists to a prolific goal output.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
In the second half, Felix scored eight points, all on fast breaks, and had a couple of assists.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
Times by the actor’s representatives, who said it was medically assisted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Almost three-fourths assisted the care recipient in paying bills, and nearly 70% helped them manage their bank accounts.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
She said she had become "too physically frail to take the flight" to an assisted dying clinic in Switzerland.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
"We thank the swift assistance of bystanders and the dedicated health workers who assisted her, and police for their response."
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
I was assisted by Willie, Mark and Liz’s twelve-year-old son.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
Brian Armstrong, chief executive of rival exchange Coinbase, said his team was assisting with the response, including blocking transfers to compromised wallets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
He has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
A 37-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman have also been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
They’ll do everything from bolting together Cybercabs to mowing your lawn, from tending bars to caring for the elderly and, naturally, assisting in the colonization of the moon and Mars.
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026
When the Joneses reached Chicago, they befriended a group of abolitionists, black and white, working together as “conductors,” assisting slaves to freedom on the hidden tracks of the Underground Railroad.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
