assisted; assisting; assists
: to give usually supplementary support or aid to
She assisted the boy with his lessons.
1
: to give support or aid
assisted at the stove
Another surgeon assisted on the operation.
2
: to be present as a spectator
… the ideal figures assisting at Italian holy scenes.—
Mary McCarthy
Mary McCarthy1
US
: an act or action that helps someone : an act of assistance
He wrote the story with an assist from a friend. [=with the help of a friend]
2
: the action (such as a throw or pass) of a player who enables a teammate to make a putout (as in baseball) or score a goal (as in basketball or hockey)
also
: official credit given for such an action
was credited with 5 assists in the first half
3
: a mechanical or electromechanical device that provides assistance
Synonyms
Examples of assist in a Sentence
Verb
The device assists those who can't climb stairs.
The President was assisted by his advisers.
She assisted the boy with his homework.
Another doctor assisted him with the operation.
Another doctor assisted with the operation.
Federal agents are assisting with the investigation.
She assisted in making the decision.
The cream assists in the prevention of skin cancer.
Recent Examples on the WebRobert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2024
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also assisted.
—Zenebou Sylla, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
The most recent NorCal Resist legal clinic in mid-March assisted 16 applicants with volunteers from the UC Davis School of Law.
NorCal Resist currently has 200 applicants on the legal clinic waiting list.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024
Hosts will be available to assist viewers and answer questions.
—Jordyn Noennig, Journal Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2024
Authorities said Hare had stopped to assist a motorist with a flat tire.
—Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Tug boats were then called out to assist the struggling vessel, which ran into problems dangerously close to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge that connects the New York boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island.
—Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
During his presidency, Coleman pledged to make attorneys available pro bono to assist victims of discrimination, joining state officials at the announcement of a hotline to report hate crimes.
—Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
The handsome and menacing 2020 V60 wagon eschews pure combustion and melds in electric motors, batteries and EV technology to assist its stalwart twin-induction 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024
Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
In total, the Englishman has a remarkable 32 goals and seven assists in 28 Bundesliga appearances so far and has the chance to break Robert Lewandowski’s record for most goals in a single season, which the Pole set with 41 in 2020-21.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
As for Tuesday’s win, the Panthers can thank backup goalie Anthony Stolarz, who earned his second shutout of the season while also picking up his fourth career assist.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
Safety and driver assist features Adaptive cruise control Super Cruise hands-free driving
Blind spot alert and assist
Traffic sign recognition
Lane keeping alert and assist
New design, interactive lights
Every exterior panel but the doors is new, along with new front and rear lights.
—Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 9 Apr. 2024
Alexandria, Virginia native Dickinson had 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a 75-70 loss to Purdue during the 2022-23 season in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Edey, a 7-4, 300-pound native of Toronto, Ontario, countered with 19 points and nine boards.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2024
With excellent coaching by image architect Law Roach and an assist from creative director Jonathan Anderson at Loewe, the 27-year-old easily clinched the win.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 8 Apr. 2024
Clark finished the championship game with 30 points, eight rebounds and five assists in Iowa's 87-75 loss to South Carolina.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Cardoso delivered 15 points, 17 rebounds and 2 assists in her final game.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 7 Apr. 2024
Verb
Additional officers responded to the seen to assist.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2024
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also assisted.
—Zenebou Sylla, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
The most recent NorCal Resist legal clinic in mid-March assisted 16 applicants with volunteers from the UC Davis School of Law.
NorCal Resist currently has 200 applicants on the legal clinic waiting list.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024
Hosts will be available to assist viewers and answer questions.
—Jordyn Noennig, Journal Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2024
Authorities said Hare had stopped to assist a motorist with a flat tire.
—Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Tug boats were then called out to assist the struggling vessel, which ran into problems dangerously close to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge that connects the New York boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island.
—Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
During his presidency, Coleman pledged to make attorneys available pro bono to assist victims of discrimination, joining state officials at the announcement of a hotline to report hate crimes.
—Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
The handsome and menacing 2020 V60 wagon eschews pure combustion and melds in electric motors, batteries and EV technology to assist its stalwart twin-induction 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
Leonard is the team’s leading scorer while Harden entered Tuesday fourth in the league in assists at 8.6 per game.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
In total, the Englishman has a remarkable 32 goals and seven assists in 28 Bundesliga appearances so far and has the chance to break Robert Lewandowski’s record for most goals in a single season, which the Pole set with 41 in 2020-21.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
As for Tuesday’s win, the Panthers can thank backup goalie Anthony Stolarz, who earned his second shutout of the season while also picking up his fourth career assist.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
Safety and driver assist features Adaptive cruise control Super Cruise hands-free driving
Blind spot alert and assist
Traffic sign recognition
Lane keeping alert and assist
New design, interactive lights
Every exterior panel but the doors is new, along with new front and rear lights.
—Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 9 Apr. 2024
Alexandria, Virginia native Dickinson had 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a 75-70 loss to Purdue during the 2022-23 season in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Edey, a 7-4, 300-pound native of Toronto, Ontario, countered with 19 points and nine boards.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2024
With excellent coaching by image architect Law Roach and an assist from creative director Jonathan Anderson at Loewe, the 27-year-old easily clinched the win.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 8 Apr. 2024
Clark finished the championship game with 30 points, eight rebounds and five assists in Iowa's 87-75 loss to South Carolina.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Cardoso delivered 15 points, 17 rebounds and 2 assists in her final game.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 7 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near assist
Cite this Entry
“Assist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assist. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
assist
1 of 2 transitive verb
as·sist
ə-ˈsist 
: to give usually supplementary support or aid to
assist the patient up the stairs
assist respiration mechanically
: to give support or aid
assist
2 of 2 noun
: an act or procedure that provides assistance
external pressure circulatory assist employs compression of the lower extremities—P. W. Wright
P. W. WrightLove words? Need even more definitions?
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