assist

American  

[uh-sist] / əˈsɪst /

verb (used with object)

assists, present (3rd person singular) assisted, past participle, past assisting present participle

1. to give support or aid to; help.

   Please assist him in moving the furniture.

   Synonyms:

   promote, back, befriend, abet, sustain

   Antonyms:

   frustrate, hinder

2. to be associated with as an assistant or helper.

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verb (used without object)

assists, present (3rd person singular) assisted, past participle, past assisting present participle

1. to give aid or help.

2. to be present, as at a meeting or ceremony.

noun

assists plural

1. Sports.

   1. Baseball. a play that helps to put out a batter or base runner.

   2. Basketball, Ice Hockey. a play that helps a teammate in gaining a goal.

   3. the official credit scored for such plays.

2. a helpful act.

   She finished her homework without an assist from her father.

3. 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.

assist British  

/ əˈsɪst /

verb

1. to give help or support to (a person, cause, etc); aid

2. to work or act as an assistant or subordinate to (another)

3. ice hockey to help (a team-mate) to score, as by passing the puck

4. archaic to be present; attend

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noun

1. the act of helping; aid; assistance

2. 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

3. sport

   1. a pass or other action by a player which enables another player to score a goal

   2. a credit given for such an action

Synonym Usage

See help.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• assister
  noun
• nonassister
  noun
• overassist
  verb
• assistive
  adjective
• unassisted
  adjective
• unassisting
  adjective
• well-assisted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• assists
  plural

Participles

• assisting
  present
• assisted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• assist
  simple
• assists
  simple
• have assisted
  perfect
• has assisted
  perfect
• am assisting
  progressive
• are assisting
  progressive
• is assisting
  progressive
• have been assisting
  perfect progressive
• has been assisting
  perfect progressive

Past

• assisted
  simple
• had assisted
  perfect
• was assisting
  progressive
• were assisting
  progressive
• had been assisting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will assist
  simple
• will have assisted
  perfect
• will be assisting
  progressive
• will have been assisting
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

And with a goal and an assist in a loss to Turkey, he already has more World Cup goals and assists than his dad.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2026

He played Harry Kane into the box for a good chance in the second half and scored England's opener before providing a quality assist to Kane for England's second.

From BBC • Jun. 27, 2026

You can assist her in cutting up her credit cards and freezing her accounts at the major credit bureaus to make it difficult for her to take out more loans.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 27, 2026

Daniel Covitz and Eric Engstrom, longtime Fed staffers, will assist the new chairman on policy and analysis.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

“I am sorry I am not able to assist you in any way.”

From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie

Related Words

• aid
• back
• benefit
• boost
• cooperate
• expedite
• facilitate
• reinforce
• support
• sustain
• take care of