assistant
Americannoun
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a person who assists or gives aid and support; helper.
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a person who is subordinate to another in rank, function, etc.; one holding a secondary rank in an office or post.
He was assistant to the office manager.
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something that aids and supplements another.
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a faculty member of a college or university who ranks below an instructor and whose responsibilities usually include grading papers, supervising laboratories, and assisting in teaching.
adjective
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assisting; helpful.
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serving in an immediately subordinate position; of secondary rank.
an assistant coach.
noun
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a person who assists, esp in a subordinate position
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( as modifier )
assistant manager
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See shop assistant
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of assistant
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English assistent, from Latin assistent-, stem of assistēns “standing by,” present participle of assistere “to stand by, help”; see assist
Explanation
An assistant is someone that is there to help. If you work 80 hours a week, you might want to think about hiring a personal assistant to pick up your dry cleaning. The word assistant typically refers to someone who offers assistance. However, in certain professional situations, assistant can mean on a level below, as in "the Assistant District Attorney reports to the District Attorney." Not surprisingly, an assistant provides assistance. However, unlike a slave or an indentured servant, an assistant is paid for his work.
Vocabulary lists containing assistant
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ant, -ent
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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.
“Until there is a treatment for asymptomatic people, this will probably not be a routine health check,” says Dr. Hyun-Sik Yang, a neurologist at Mass General Brigham and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
He will be joined at the club by Jamal Alioui, his assistant coach at Lens.
From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026
Patrick Grandy, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles office, briefed federal officials about the agency’s “security footprint” including measures against unauthorized drone flights.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2026
Cook, who has worked with Chapman for more than 25 years after beginning as a research assistant, said she values CBH's combination of clinical research, translational care, and community outreach.
From Science Daily • Jun. 13, 2026
The orange-curled vet assistant sailed into the Brevard Animal Clinic’s waiting room.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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.
