assess
Americanverb (used with object)
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assesses,
present (3rd person singular)
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assessed,
past participle, past
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assessing
present participle
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to estimate officially the value of (property, income, etc.) as a basis for taxation.
-
to fix or determine the amount of (damages, a tax, a fine, etc.).
The hurricane damage was assessed at six million dollars.
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to impose a tax or other charge on.
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to estimate or judge the value, character, etc., of; evaluate.
to assess one's efforts.
- Synonyms:
- appraise
verb
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to judge the worth, importance, etc, of; evaluate
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(foll by at) to estimate the value of (income, property, etc) for taxation purposes
the estate was assessed at three thousand pounds
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to determine the amount of (a fine, tax, damages, etc)
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to impose a tax, fine, etc, on (a person or property)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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overassessverb (used with object)
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reassessverb (used with object)
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assessableadjective
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unassessableadjective
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unassessedadjective
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well-assessedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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assesssimple
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assessessimple
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have assessedperfect
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has assessedperfect
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am assessingprogressive
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are assessingprogressive
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is assessingprogressive
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have been assessingperfect progressive
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has been assessingperfect progressive
Past
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assessedsimple
-
had assessedperfect
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was assessingprogressive
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were assessingprogressive
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had been assessingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of assess
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English assessen, from Old French assesser, from Medieval Latin assessāre “to assess a tax,” derivative of Latin assessus “seated beside (a judge)” (past participle of assidēre ), equivalent to as- “toward” + sed- (stem of sedēre “to sit”) + -tus past participle suffix; see as-, sit 1
Explanation
Before you try to sell your car, you should ask an expert to assess its value — once you know what it's worth, it's easier to find a fair price. When you assess a matter, you make a judgment about it. The verb assess has the general meaning of determining the importance or value of something. It also has a few specialized uses having to do with amounts of money, such as fines, fees, and taxes. It can mean to set the value of property for purposes of taxation, or to charge a person or business a tax or fee. Assess comes from Anglo-French usage, and is ultimately derived from the Latin verb assidēre, "to sit as a judge."
Vocabulary lists containing assess
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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:
Researchers additionally performed sensitivity analyses to assess attrition bias.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
"There's no doubt the Taliban would like to be recognised at the UN but it's no longer as potent a bargaining chip as it was at the beginning," they assess.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
The impoverished Choco region on the Pacific coast also suffered immensely, with some of its remote communities unreachable by authorities to assess the damage.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
The Alpines wanted to assess AI-enabled productivity gains systematically.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
How, in short, do we assess the potential of an entire local flora for domestication?
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
A recent analysis from the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, an independent nonprofit that assesses the value of medical treatments, concluded that GLP-1 drugs including Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound are cost-effective.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
BBC Sport's Neil Johnston assesses how the players performed on Tuesday - and you can see how readers rated them at the bottom of the page too.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Switzerland's biggest bank, which is among the world's largest wealth managers, produces the annual UBS Global Wealth Report, which assesses personal wealth trends.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
The other 75% take the USA Hire Standard Assessment, which assesses a variety of cognitive skills.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
The tinkerer quickly assesses the situation before nodding.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
A landmark Cochrane review assessed all the relevant evidence looking at the effect of exercise on osteoarthritis.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
If a new homeowner purchased a property at a significantly higher purchase price as compared to the home’s last assessed value, local tax assessors could update the property value, and that could mean higher taxes.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
The full extent of the damage is still being assessed.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
It would be hard to penetrate the heavy security perimeter around the summit and Trump, the U.S. officials assessed, especially with such a conspicuous weapon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
“Would you like to come down to my club on Saturday, maybe meet one of the coaches and be assessed for disabled bowling?”
From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge
"The longitudinal exploration of cardiovascular health throughout life, rather than assessing it at a single time point, could also provide further insight into the trajectory phenotypes contributing to cognitive decline by ethnicity," Vazquez said.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
There are three parts to assessing your needs before you set up a financial plan: risk need, risk capacity and risk tolerance.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
She added that she has never viewed the homeless count as a precise tool for assessing the crisis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
The hotel and casino company confirmed during an earnings call last week that it is currently assessing the offer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
I looked around the front steps and sidewalk, assessing my options.
From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen
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.
