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:
“If the voter prefers to vote in person and they haven’t yet updated their address, we will assist them with completing an address update form at the polling place.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Urschel also had an assist in his research.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
He thanked members of the public who have already contacted the force, but asked if anyone had information that could assist the investigation to get in touch.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
McDonald said Sinn Fein would assist police if its members' participation in the protest came under investigation.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
Pater Lumley jumped to assist as Old Timothy seized his prey by the collar.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Mamukelashvili, who plays both power forward and center, has 11 assists in the preseason, showing the type of versatility that has Redick excited to install the team’s “Mamu package” of plays and after-timeout sets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
Brazilian Maira, 22, already has a franchise-record nine goals while Evelyn Shores, 21, has tied the single-season record with seven assists and defender Gisele Thompson, Alyssa’s sister, leads all outfield players with 2,420 minutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
The forward went on to score six goals and provide two assists in 28 appearances after joining shortly after lockdown.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
It assists with pricing, helping merchants understand their costs when determining how much to charge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
JB’s got nineteen points, six rebounds, and three assists.
From "The Crossover" by Kwame Alexander
To be quite honest, I had singled her out at the assisted living facility for her good looks and “normality.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
After it progressed to an unbearable point, we moved Tony into assisted living.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
A nursing-home room could cost $100,000 a year or $60,000 or more for assisted living, depending on where you live.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Canada was first set to expand its assisted dying laws to people whose sole condition is mental illness in 2023, but it delayed doing so twice to allow for time to study its potential delivery.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Lee had 61,000 men in his army and was assisted by another of the Confederacy’s legendary commanders, Stonewall Jackson.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
A portion of every ticket sold will benefit Siempre Unidos LA, a grassroots nonprofit assisting immigrant families affected by Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and deportations through food, emergency assistance, legal referrals and community support.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Record goalscorer Harry Kane scored twice, as did Bukayo Saka, with Anthony Gordon scoring and assisting too.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Fingerprint experts from the United States and Singapore are also assisting.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
At one point, Rife and Ko, who play a zany, chaotic comedic duo assisting Wilson throughout the film, are told the moment isn’t going to happen and that they can head out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
An attorney assisting the prosecution asked whether she’d feel better if agents brought her to see Ernest.
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.
