assess
Americanverb (used with object)
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to estimate officially the value of (property, income, etc.) as a basis for taxation.
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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
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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:
The team also could not assess whether hair grew back after patients stopped taking the medication.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
Will I be able to assess this as well?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
We take a closer look at Rogers' skillset and assess how Alonso might set up his side this season.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
In mid-June, a group of scientists visited the site to assess damage that might have been caused by the preparatory works.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
In terms of musical material, it is important to assess the sonic aspects as well as the written.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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
Mom assesses a shriveled turnip, squeezing as she rotates it.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
This study was not completed as a clinical trial associated with an application and has not been assessed by FDA for product approval for stated indications.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
Direct damage to residential buildings came in at almost half of the assessed total at $9.3 billion.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
“It is important these are properly assessed so that we can secure the best outcome for Hackney’s economy and our residents.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
However, the LIV golfer quickly assessed the bigger picture and takes salvation from the fact he set the clubhouse lead at eight under par.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
The ambulance drivers, dressed in blue, seemed to Gerald to take an awfully long time while they poked and measured and assessed Aunt Queen.
From "Forged by Fire" by Sharon M. Draper
But with AI-generated answers to queries reducing clicks to outside websites, Reddit executives are assessing what the upside is of continuing to feed its content to Google, said the people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Since then the club has been the subject of an investigation by the FA, looking into who participated in the spying and assessing the culpability of those who knew it was happening.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
“In our view, the Mag 7 is dead as a construct for assessing large-cap growth dynamics, and it has been for some time,” say strategists at Citi, led by Scott Chronert.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
To use a recent example operating on a similar blockbuster scale, Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” did this particularly well, assessing humanity and movies together against the backdrop of Spielberg’s favorite themes.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
He closed his eyes, raised his head and breathed in gently with flared nostrils, assessing the current of warm air for information.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
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.
