assistant

noun

as·​sis·​tant ə-ˈsi-stənt How to pronounce assistant (audio)
1
: a person who assists someone : helper
also : a person holding an assistantship
2
: a device or product that provides assistance
software assistants
personal digital assistant
see pda entry 1
assistant adjective

Examples of assistant in a Sentence

an assistant to the college president an assistant to the store manager a wealthy executive who has a personal assistant
Recent Examples on the Web Steve Hurley, Mulberry's mayoral assistant, said this is the first loan the city has received for its water infrastructure improvement project. Samantha Lacicero, arkansasonline.com, 7 Mar. 2024 And there were serious safety issues after assailants carjacked a production vehicle, yanking a production assistant from a SUV and taking off in her car, according to show sources and The Hollywood Reporter. Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024 Kashira Al-Sabir, a human resources assistant who was watching the Super Bowl at the Mexican restaurant Mission, has grown accustomed to paying $120 a head for brunch. Priya Krishna, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 In late November, Brett and his assistant embarked on a 24-hour journey from London to Kyiv via Warsaw. Venya Brykalin, Vogue, 4 Mar. 2024 With the curtains drawn in a room inside the facility in Quebec, the man, who was in his 50s, and one of his friends watched the film on the screen of Villeneuve’s laptop — which the director’s assistant had flown in that day. Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024 Along with Hussin, the van, which is stocked with medication and equipment, including an ultrasound machine, is staffed with a doctor, practical nurse, lab technician and a medical assistant. D. Parvaz, NPR, 4 Mar. 2024 Yue says his company pioneered the large action models that can enable a digital AI assistant to execute tasks. Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 2 Mar. 2024 And while Barca was swiftly able to announce that Guardiola's assistant Tito Vilanova would replace him after the bombshell development, Barca currently doesn't have anyone lined up to man the dugout for the 2024/2025 campaign onwards. Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assistant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English assistent, borrowed from Anglo-French assistant, assistent, noun derivative of assistant, assistent, adjective, "assisting, helpful," from present participle of assister "to help, aid" — more at assist entry 1

Note: In the case of both this word and assistance Modern English has chosen the French form with -a- in the suffix rather than Latin -e-.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of assistant was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near assistant

Cite this Entry

“Assistant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assistant. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

assistant

noun
as·​sis·​tant ə-ˈsis-tənt How to pronounce assistant (audio)
: a person who assists another : helper
assistant adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on assistant

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