assist
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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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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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:
“We’re told to assist with targeted enforcement ... That is not target enforcement.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Following the successful gravity assist, the spacecraft is now traveling directly toward asteroid Psyche, which orbits in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
The European Union says it has also deployed water-bombing aircraft to both countries to assist in the emergency response.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
The troops will assist with evacuating residents from areas threatened by the fires and help safeguard homes left unattended during the emergency, the defence ministry said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
“Two of our trusted caretakers are here to make sure you're all settled in. We've also ordered the automats to assist with tidying.”
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Do Lakers fans remember Doncic’s 17 assists to guys like Dante Exum, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Grant Williams in a 2023 victory over LeBron and Anthony Davis?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals a game for the Lakers last season and said he was considering retirement strongly when the campaign concluded.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Only four players in the entire NBA averaged 20 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists last season—and James was one of them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Meanwhile, Rogers contributed 14 goals and 12 assists in 55 appearances across all competitions for Aston Villa last season.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
JB’s got nineteen points, six rebounds, and three assists.
From "The Crossover" by Kwame Alexander
That forecast does not include long-term-care expenses, such as home healthcare support, assisted living or extended nursing-home stays.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
When he was previously an MP he abstained from a 2015 vote on another bill to legalise assisted dying because of concerns over safeguards and people feeling under pressure.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
For all their adjustability, electrically assisted power steering systems have the tactility of a Ouija planchette.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
“The floor mat stretches act like assisted yoga, which is incredible for restoring joint mobility after a long haul.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Blood allowed Woodhull to pursue her interests, and he often assisted with her schemes.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
In other words, to the extent bombing had an effect on the war, it was by assisting the ground war—not by shaping the course of the war from the sky on its own.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
The scrupulously staged and rehearsed repertory at the Joyce, with Elisa Clark assisting as rehearsal director, holds bright promise for future retrospective efforts mining the Mark Morris Dance Group’s rich repertory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
The Dodgers donated more than $1 million to local organizations assisting those affected by the ICE raids.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
This includes assisting patients with mail-in ballots and making sure they have transportation to the polls or ballot drop-boxes.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
William Burns had once investigated Comstock for allegedly assisting an oil company in a scheme to bribe the Osage Tribal Council for a favorable lease, but the charge was never proven.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
