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to assign

to assign

487 2.7
Give someone a specific task, duty, or position of responsibility
  • verb
  • /əˈsaɪn/
translation icon : asignar
  • In class, the teacher assigned each student a different book to read for their report.
  • assign homework
  • assign tasks
  • assign students

You get the deal and they assign you different songs per week.

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Examples

  • I was more interested in doing the work that he assigned me to do.

  • So I'm going to assign some words to this breaking down process.

  • There were three men assigned to that room.

  • When a defendant has no lawyer, the court will assign one to him.

  • For example, teachers can form groups and assign roles for students to program.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Students deserve a fair hearing if they feel their assigned grade was reached in error.

    Academic text (2011)
  • And then after you've been through the training, they assign you families.

  • I'm the officer assigned to make sure you people complete the jobs you're given.

  • For example, less experienced teachers are more likely to be assigned to classrooms of underrepresented students.

    Academic text (2011)
  • We had a faculty member who began assigning his students to listen to weekly podcasts.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

to appoint
vsto assign
  • Formal
580 3.2

Officially choose someone for a job or role

can be informal or formal selection without official ceremonial choice
to name
vsto assign
  • Formal
456 2.8

To officially choose someone for a job or position

is wider, covering various ways of giving duties or responsibility
to charge
vsto assign
  • Formal
146 3.3

Give someone a responsibility or task

may give duties without granting broad authority or command
to post
vsto assign
145 4.2

To assign someone to a place or job as part of their work

is not limited to location or service postings and covers many duties
to designate
vsto assign
  • Formal
124 5.0

To officially choose someone for a job or role

is the general act of giving duties or positions, not only official marking
to allocate
vsto assign
92 4.5

Give parts of something, like money or time, to people for a planned purpose

focuses on giving a duty or position to a single person rather than distribution
to task
vsto assign
57 2.6

To give someone a piece of work they must do

covers giving duties, positions, or responsibilities beyond single work items
to delegate
vsto assign
45 3.7

To give a job and authority to someone so they do it for you

covers giving duties without necessarily transferring decision authority
to allot
vsto assign
33 3.7

To give a part of something to someone for a specific use

typically gives a person a duty or role rather than a share of resources
to detail
vsto assign
  • Formal
8 5.9

To assign someone to a specific job for a short time

is broader and includes permanent duties and positions as well
to put down as
vsto assign
5 4.3

To register someone for an activity or list and give them a specific role

is the practical act of giving someone a duty, not only registering status
to depute
vsto assign
  • UK
1 7.8

To choose someone to act for you

is about assigning duties directly rather than formally naming a representative

Antonyms

to revoke
  • Formal
96 6.2

Officially stop something from being valid, for example a license

How Official

to appoint
  • Formal
580 3.2
to assign
487 2.7
to delegate
45 3.7
to give
1.0

Surface Forms

assign infinitive
assigned past
assigned past participle
assigning present participle
assigns third person singular

Morphology

assign = sign (semi-transparent) = as + sign

The form 'as-' + 'sign' suggests 'to mark/appoint', but the modern senses like giving tasks are a sense extension and not fully predictable from 'sign' for an average learner.

Etymology

Assign comes from the Latin word signare, which means 'to mark', and it is related to the common word sign. So when you assign a task you are 'marking' that job as belonging to a person.