assign

verb

ə-ˈsīn How to pronounce assign (audio)
Definition of assignnext
1
as in to task
to give a task, duty, or responsibility to assigned the class with the task of finding something in the state constitution they felt needed changing

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to allot
to give as a share or portion each new employee is assigned a cubicle and a computer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to cede
to give over the legal possession or ownership of assigned all rights to and royalties from the song to the Boy Scouts

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to appoint
to pick (someone) by one's authority for a specific position or duty the mayor assigned the panel with the task of luring a major sports franchise to the city

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word assign different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of assign are ascribe, attribute, credit, and impute. While all these words mean "to lay something to the account of a person or thing," assign implies ascribing with certainty or after deliberation.

assigned the bones to the Cretaceous period

In what contexts can ascribe take the place of assign?

The synonyms ascribe and assign are sometimes interchangeable, but ascribe suggests an inferring or conjecturing of cause, quality, authorship.

forged paintings formerly ascribed to masters

How is attribute related to other words for assign?

Attribute suggests less tentativeness than ascribe, less definiteness than assign.

attributed to Rembrandt but possibly done by an associate

Where would credit be a reasonable alternative to assign?

In some situations, the words credit and assign are roughly equivalent. However, credit implies ascribing a thing or especially an action to a person or other thing as its agent, source, or explanation.

credited his teammates for his success

When is it sensible to use impute instead of assign?

While in some cases nearly identical to assign, impute suggests ascribing something that brings discredit by way of accusation or blame.

tried to impute sinister motives to my actions

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of assign Southwest executives have been under pressure to boost revenue by adopting bag fees, assigning seats, offering premium seating, and other practices used by their bigger competitors. —Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025 Following a horrific incident that destroys what’s left of his emotional stability, he is assigned to a high-profile cold case that forces him to confront his inadequacies. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 29 May 2025 The officer is assigned to the New Haven Shooting Task Force. —Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 29 May 2025 Change of clothes ▪ Paper maps ▪ Medicine and prescriptions ▪ First-aid kit ▪ Cash Family emergency plan ▪ Emergency contact information: Miami-Dade County advises assigning a contact person for family members to call in an emergency. —Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 28 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for assign
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assign
  1. task
  2. allot
  3. cede
  4. appoint
  5. entrust
  6. allocate
  7. transfer
  8. nominate
Verb
  • As state and federal arts funding diminishes, arts organizations are tasked with finding individual donors to continue functioning.
    — Marcia Luttrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 May 2025
  • Devon is now tasked with taking care of their ailing father (Bill Camp), who’s been diagnosed with early-onset dementia.
    — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 24 May 2025
Definition of task
Verb
  • The parcel was allotted to her in 1891 through the Dawes Act, which allowed the federal government to break up tribal land.
    — Nick Oxford, New York Times, 21 May 2025
  • In the district where the Cozy Inn is located, businesses are allotted three square feet of signage per linear foot of street frontage, the Salina Post reported.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 15 May 2025
Definition of allot
Verb
  • Forced to retreat back deeper in the field thanks to the arrival of Kylian Mbappe, Bellingham has been nowhere near as effective this term as Madrid was bulldozed by FC Barcelona in four Clasicos and lost the Copa del Rey and Super Cup finals to it while also ceding La Liga to the Catalans.
    — Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
  • Leclerc needed to cede the place to Albon, but at the same time, his complaint about the amount of rules-lawyering that now accompanies every bit of wheel-to-wheel action is getting a bit tedious.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 19 May 2025
Definition of cede
Verb
  • He was then appointed Juventus head coach in the summer of 2014, replacing Antonio Conte, and winning the Italian top-flight in each of his five seasons in charge between 2014-15 and 2018-19, while also reaching the Champions League final in 2015 and 2017.
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 30 May 2025
  • In 2000, he was appointed NYPD commissioner by Giuliani.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2025
Definition of appoint
Verb
  • And that means a lot to me as someone who has been entrusted to be the custodian of his story.
    — Allen Salkin, HollywoodReporter, 23 May 2025
  • Named after Tom Vernon Harrison, a local headteacher who led a fundraising drive to save the pitch from development in 1928, the plot was entrusted to the school sports charity, which became Leeds Schools Sports Association (LSSA), with covenants in its deeds to protect its use for sport.
    — Beren Cross, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Definition of entrust
Verb
  • CMOs should allocate at least 10% of their marketing budget to Hispanic-specific programs that leverage culturally relevant channels and messaging.
    — Isaac Mizrahi, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
  • The housing association is an independent nonprofit created by the Legislature and tasked with allocating these credits.
    — Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 23 May 2025
Definition of allocate
Verb
  • The Department of Agriculture’s Poultry and Animal Health then stepped in and transferred the chicks to the First State Animal Center and SPCA.
    — Saleen Martin, USA Today, 24 May 2025
  • In the decision issued on Thursday by a federal district court judge in Massachusetts, the court ordered the Trump administration to halt all efforts at shutting down the Department of Education or transferring the federal student loan portfolio to other agencies.
    — Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
Definition of transfer
Verb
  • Individuals and teams are nominated via an online application.
    — Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2025
  • Morehouse’s faculty and students had nominated Hubert for the honorary degree, according to the college president.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 25 May 2025
Definition of nominate

Browse Nearby Words

assiduousness
assign
assignation
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Assign.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assign. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.

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