WordGarden.ioassign
B1Pronunciation
UK
- /əsˈaɪn/
US
- /əˈsaɪn/
Meanings
Verb
to give someone a task, role, place, or responsibility
to attribute a cause, quality, meaning, or responsibility to someone or something
to set a value, variable, or label in a formal system or computer program
More meaningsFewer meanings
to transfer a legal right, claim, or contract to another party
Beyond the definition
To assign something means to give a specific job, responsibility, or value to someone or something. Think of a teacher assigning homework—they are giving students tasks to complete. But it is not just about work; you might assign seats on a bus, assign blame for a mistake (though that can be tricky!), or even assign meaning to an object in a story. The core concept is designating something to a specific target. A computer program assigns unique IDs to files, just as a police captain assigns detectives to a new case.
The word "assign" primarily means to allocate a task, responsibility, or quality. It implies a deliberate act of giving something specific to a particular person or entity. For example, "The manager assigned the new project to Sarah," meaning she was explicitly made responsible for it.
However, "assign" extends beyond the workplace; it appears in many contexts. A judge might assign a public defender to an accused person, a librarian assigns call numbers to books, and a writer might assign symbolic meaning to objects within a story. You can even assign yourself a personal goal, like learning a new word every day.
In technical or legal contexts, "assign" can also mean to transfer ownership or rights. For example, "She assigned her contract rights to another company." This is a formal usage often seen in property and business law.
Finally, be careful not to confuse "assign" with "assume." While both involve taking on a role, assign is external (someone gives it to you), whereas assume is internal (you take it upon yourself).
Ultimately, whether it is a job, a value, or a legal right, to assign is to officially designate and, in some cases, transfer it to another.
Examples
- 1
Coursework
The professor assigned three articles for next week.
- 2
Workplace role
On her first day, Mia was assigned to the front desk.
- Patternassign someone to + job/place/group
choose them for that job, place, or group
- 3
Task responsibility
They assigned Jordan to lead the meeting.
- Patternassign someone to do X
choose them for a particular task
- 4
Journalism
The editor assigned her a story about the local election.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Chart categories
You can assign a different color to each category in the chart.
- Patternassign X to Y
connect or give X to a particular thing
- 6
App controls
The app lets users assign a shortcut key to any command.
- 7
Responsibility
We shouldn't assign blame until we know exactly what happened.
- Phraseassign blame
say who is responsible
- 8
Research data
In the report, the researchers assigned a value of zero to missing data.
- Patternassign a value to + data/item
decide how it will be treated or measured
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- assignverb
Forms
- assignedpast tenseverb
- assigning-ing formverb
- assignsverb