assist
noun · verb
Simple meaning
To help someone do something.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhsistSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əˈsɪst
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A helpful action or an act of giving.
verb
sports
To make a pass that leads directly towards scoring.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A helpful action or an act of giving.
Used this way, assist is a reasonably familiar word with a mildly favourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
The activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Suicide of a terminally ill person that involves an assistant who serves to make dying as painless and dignified as possible.
A trajectory that passes close to a planetary body in order to gain energy from its gravitational field.
A refractive surgery procedure that reshapes the cornea.
A refractive surgery procedure that reshapes the cornea.
Assisted suicide where the assistant is a physician.
Automotive steering where engineer power amplifies the torque applied to the steering wheel.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A person with specialized training who assists lawyers.
A person trained to assist medical professionals.
A restaurant attendant who sets tables and assists waiters and clears away dirty dishes.
The bureau in the Department of Justice that assists local criminal justice systems to reduce or prevent crime and violence and drug abuse.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to make a pass that leads directly towards scoring
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.