assess

American  

[uh-ses] / əˈsɛs /

verb (used with object)

• assesses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• assessed,
  past participle,  past
• assessing
  present participle

1. 

   to estimate officially the value of (property, income, etc.) as a basis for taxation.

2. to fix or determine the amount of (damages, a tax, a fine, etc.).

   The hurricane damage was assessed at six million dollars.

   Synonyms:

   adjust, appraise

3. to impose a tax or other charge on.

4. to estimate or judge the value, character, etc., of; evaluate.

   to assess one's efforts.

   Synonyms:

   appraise

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assess British  

/ əˈsɛs /

verb

1. to judge the worth, importance, etc, of; evaluate

2. (foll by at) to estimate the value of (income, property, etc) for taxation purposes

   the estate was assessed at three thousand pounds

3. to determine the amount of (a fine, tax, damages, etc)

4. to impose a tax, fine, etc, on (a person or property)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overassess
  verb (used with object)
• reassess
  verb (used with object)
• assessable
  adjective
• unassessable
  adjective
• unassessed
  adjective
• well-assessed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• assessing
  present
• assessed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• assess
  simple
• assesses
  simple
• have assessed
  perfect
• has assessed
  perfect
• am assessing
  progressive
• are assessing
  progressive
• is assessing
  progressive
• have been assessing
  perfect progressive
• has been assessing
  perfect progressive

Past

• assessed
  simple
• had assessed
  perfect
• was assessing
  progressive
• were assessing
  progressive
• had been assessing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will assess
  simple
• will have assessed
  perfect
• will be assessing
  progressive
• will have been assessing
  perfect progressive

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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

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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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

assess assesses assessed assessing

"But the closer these relationships are, the harder it is for one to assess true sustainable demand."

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

Greater collaboration would let investors assess their portfolios, test their assumptions and estimate a social money multiplier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

Earlier this year, Kennedy announced that a group of advisers would assess 14 peptides and then make a recommendation to the FDA about whether they should be allowed to be compounded.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

Field said the treatment she received from her medical test "has been outstanding" but has an issue with "the system Pip uses to assess people".

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

Will try to assess themselves when requested and take in things that others point out as important in their surroundings.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

The company has a formula that assesses how much of a credit risk each of us poses, and it licenses it to the big three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026

Identifying those signals could help researchers better understand how wildlife assesses potential threats in environments shared with humans.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026

BANGKOK—Higher interest rates and persistent inflation in the U.S. and elsewhere have upturned the way Moody’s assesses risk, according to the ratings company’s chief credit officer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

"The National Intelligence Service currently assesses that Kim Ju Ae is being groomed as the successor and understands she has a younger sibling of unknown gender," the agency said, reaffirming its conclusion on succession.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

The tinkerer quickly assesses the situation before nodding.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

A doctor who assessed Pollock had said his actions were taken in the context of emotional dysfunction, low self-esteem and isolation.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

He took a voluntary leave while the authority assessed the situation and later returned to his post.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Oil prices fell Thursday as traders assessed fresh U.S. efforts to revive peace negotiations with Iran against persistent Middle East supply risks and the possibility of renewed military escalation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

It said it assessed the detail contained in the referral and decided to carry out an independent investigation.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Akira assessed it as if unsure—that is, was this old man pulling his leg?

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

It says its newest score is the “most predictive” in the market, in a space where accurately assessing credit risk seems rather important.

From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026

They worry that businesses are using artificial intelligence and other technology to quickly change prices by assessing their needs or profile.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

The merger would give Musk greater voting control over the combined company than he currently has at Tesla, a factor the special committee assessing the deal would have to consider.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

That’s important for investors when it comes to assessing how long this year’s rally in sugar prices could last.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

Through the nights she stood like a field general over the kitchen counter, hands perched on those jutting hipbones, smoking with agitation, assessing points of entry and encampment and escape.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

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Related Words

• appraise
• check
• determine
• estimate
• fix
• gauge
• judge
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