ASSIGN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does assign mean? 

• ASSIGN (verb)
  The verb ASSIGN has 8 senses:

1. give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person)

2. give out

3. attribute or credit to

4. select something or someone for a specific purpose

5. attribute or give

6. make undue claims to having

7. transfer one's right to

8. decide as to where something belongs in a scheme

  Familiarity information: ASSIGN used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ASSIGN (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they assign    ... he / she / it assigns   
Past simple: assigned   
Past participle: assigned   
-ing form: assigning   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person)

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

assign; delegate; depute; designate

Hypernyms (to "assign" is one way to...):

appoint; charge (assign a duty, responsibility or obligation to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "assign"):

mandate (assign authority to)

cast (select to play,sing, or dance a part in a play, movie, musical, opera, or ballet)

post (assign to a post; put into a post)

cast (assign the roles of (a movie or a play) to actors)

devolve (pass on or delegate to another)

task (assign a task to)

place (place somebody in a particular situation or location)

regiment (assign to a regiment)

reassign; transfer (transfer somebody to a different position or location of work)

delegate; depute (transfer power to someone)

mandate (assign under a mandate)

advance; elevate; kick upstairs; promote; raise; upgrade (give a promotion to or assign to a higher position)

break; bump; demote; kick downstairs; relegate (assign to a lower position; reduce in rank)

place (assign to (a job or a home))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody something
Somebody ----s something to somebody
Somebody ----s somebody PP

Sentence example:

They assign him to write the letter

Derivation:

assignment (the act of putting a person into a non-elective position)

assignment (a duty that you are assigned to perform (especially in the armed forces))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Give out

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

allot; assign; portion

Context example:

We were assigned new uniforms

Hypernyms (to "assign" is one way to...):

administer; allot; deal; deal out; dish out; dispense; distribute; dole out; lot; mete out; parcel out; shell out (administer or bestow, as in small portions)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "assign"):

allocate; apportion (distribute according to a plan or set apart for a special purpose)

allow; appropriate; earmark; reserve; set aside (give or assign a resource to a particular person or cause)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody something
Somebody ----s something to somebody

Sentence examples:

They assign cars to the tourists
They assign the tourists their cars

Derivation:

assignation (the act of distributing by allotting or apportioning; distribution according to a plan)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Attribute or credit to

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

ascribe; assign; attribute; impute

Context example:

People impute great cleverness to cats

Hypernyms (to "assign" is one way to...):

evaluate; judge; pass judgment (form a critical opinion of)

Verb group:

impute (attribute (responsibility or fault) to a cause or source)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "assign"):

impute (attribute (responsibility or fault) to a cause or source)

carnalize; sensualize (ascribe to an origin in sensation)

credit (give someone credit for something)

reattribute (attribute to another source)

anthropomorphise; anthropomorphize (ascribe human features to something)

personate; personify (attribute human qualities to something)

accredit; credit (ascribe an achievement to)

blame; charge (attribute responsibility to)

externalise; externalize; project (regard as objective)

interiorise; interiorize; internalise; internalize (incorporate within oneself; make subjective or personal)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something to somebody
Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 4

Meaning:

Select something or someone for a specific purpose

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

assign; set apart; specify

Context example:

The teacher assigned him to lead his classmates in the exercise

Hypernyms (to "assign" is one way to...):

choose; pick out; select; take (pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "assign"):

detail (assign to a specific task)

dedicate (set apart to sacred uses with solemn rites, of a church)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody PP
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

assignment (an undertaking that you have been assigned to do (as by an instructor))

Sense 5

Meaning:

Attribute or give

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Synonyms:

assign; put

Context example:

The teacher put an interesting twist to the interpretation of the story

Hypernyms (to "assign" is one way to...):

apply; employ; use; utilise; utilize (put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "assign"):

repose (put or confide something in a person or thing)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 6

Meaning:

Make undue claims to having

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

arrogate; assign

Hypernyms (to "assign" is one way to...):

arrogate; claim; lay claim (demand as being one's due or property; assert one's right or title to)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something to somebody

Sense 7

Meaning:

Transfer one's right to

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Hypernyms (to "assign" is one way to...):

transfer (cause to change ownership)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody something
Somebody ----s something to somebody

Derivation:

assignable (legally transferable to the ownership of another)

assignee ((law) the party to whom something is assigned (e.g., someone to whom a right or property is legally transferred))

assignment (the instrument by which a claim or right or interest or property is transferred from one person to another)

assignment ((law) a transfer of property by deed of conveyance)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Decide as to where something belongs in a scheme

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

assign; attribute

Context example:

The biologist assigned the mushroom to the proper class

Hypernyms (to "assign" is one way to...):

evaluate; judge; pass judgment (form a critical opinion of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "assign"):

classify; relegate (assign to a class or kind)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

assignment (the act of distributing something to designated places or persons)

 Context examples 

Any bacterial organism that can be assigned to the species Acinetobacter anitratus.

(Acinetobacter anitratus, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

A species of aerobic, Gram negative, rod and cocci shaped bacteria assigned to the phylum Proteobacteria.

(Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, NCI Thesaurus)

Any bacteria that is not assigned to the species level but can be assigned to the Acinetobacter genus level.

(Acinetobacter, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

Any bacterial organism that can be assigned to the species Acidovorax temperans.

(Acidovorax temperans, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

Any bacterial organism that can be assigned to the species Acidovorax facilis.

(Acidovorax facilis, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

Any bacterial organism that can be assigned to the species Acinetobacter calcoaceticus.

(Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

A non taxonomic grouping of bacteria assigned to the Acinetobacter genus that include the A. calcoaceticus and A. baumannii species.

(Acinetobacter calcoaceticus/baumannii Complex, NCI Thesaurus)

Any bacterial organism that can be assigned to the species Acinetobacter lwoffii.

(Acinetobacter lwoffii, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

Any bacterial organism that can be assigned to the species Acinetobacter junii.

(Acinetobacter junii, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

Any bacterial organism that can be assigned to the species Acinetobacter johnsonii.

(Acinetobacter johnsonii, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)