assemble

verb

as·​sem·​ble ə-ˈsem-bəl How to pronounce assemble (audio)
assembled; assembling ə-ˈsem-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce assemble (audio)
Synonyms of assemblenext

transitive verb

1
: to bring together (as in a particular place or for a particular purpose)
They assembled a team of experts to solve the problem.
2
: to fit together the parts of
assemble a new bicycle

intransitive verb

: to meet together : convene
The club assembles once a month.

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for assemble

gather, collect, assemble, congregate mean to come or bring together into a group, mass, or unit.

gather is the most general term for bringing or coming together from a spread-out or scattered state.

a crowd quickly gathered

collect often implies careful selection or orderly arrangement.

collected books on gardening

assemble implies an ordered union or organization of persons or things often for a definite purpose.

experts assembled for a conference

congregate implies a spontaneous flocking together into a crowd or huddle.

congregating under a shelter

Examples of assemble in a Sentence

We'll need to assemble a list of songs for the concert. She assembled all of her old photos into three albums. Hundreds of notes and letters were assembled into a book. A team of scientists was assembled to study the problem. The U.S. Constitution gives people the right to assemble peacefully. A crowd had assembled in front of the courthouse during the trial. After dinner, the men would assemble in the living room to watch the game on TV. The club assembles once a month to discuss upcoming activities. Their father helped them assemble their new bicycles in the garage. The cars are assembled on an assembly line.
Recent Examples on the Web To test Project Arena — a high quality real-time renderer — Chaos assembled a team of production pros to create a short using the tech in a virtual production environment. —Carolyn Giardina, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024 The panel was assembled after an emergency FAA safety summit in March 2023 that brought together regulators and industry groups after multiple high-profile runway incursions were reported at large US airports. —Melissa Alonso, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024 The company assembled 433,371 EVs last quarter, down from 440,808 in 2023. —William Gavin, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024 Onely, a search optimization firm, estimates that using SGE can make a user’s overall research journey 10 to 20 times shorter by assembling pros and cons, prices and other information into one place. —Geoffrey A. Fowler, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024 One of the most renowned and focused car collections of this century was assembled by Peter Mullin, who passed away in September of 2023. —Robert Ross, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2024 Make-Ahead Tip Label and freeze assembled, unbaked casserole up to 1 month. —Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 30 Mar. 2024 The trusses were assembled at the workshop for a dry-fit, then disassembled and trucked to Paris, where carpenters put them back together. —Aurelien Breeden, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024 One wooden set of its children’s furniture is inspired by the acts of drawing lines, cutting the lines to make shapes, and assembling the shapes into 3-D models. —Rachel Gallaher, Robb Report, 23 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assemble.' 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 asemblen, assemblen "(intransitive) to come together, congregate, meet, (transitive) to bring together, gather," borrowed from Anglo-French asembler, assembler (also continental Old French), going back to Vulgar Latin *assimulāre, from Latin as- as- + Vulgar Latin *-simulāre, verbal derivative of Latin simul "in company, together, at the same time" — more at simultaneous

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of assemble was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near assemble

assemblance

assemble

assembler

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Assemble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assemble. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

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Kids Definition

assemble

verb
as·​sem·​ble ə-ˈsem-bəl How to pronounce assemble (audio)
assembled; assembling -b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce assemble (audio)
1
: to collect into one place or group
assembled the crew
2
: to fit together the parts of
assemble a toy
3
: to meet together
the right to assemble peacefully
Etymology

Middle English assemblen "to bring together, assemble," from early French assembler (same meaning), derived from Latin ad- "to" and simul "together" — related to ensemble, simultaneous

Legal Definition

assemble

verb
as·​sem·​ble
assembled; assembling

transitive verb

: to bring or summon together into a group especially in a particular place for a particular purpose

intransitive verb

: to come or meet together in a group often formally or for a common purpose
the right of the people peaceably to assemble—U.S. Constitution amend. I

More from Merriam-Webster on assemble

Nglish: Translation of assemble for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of assemble for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about assemble

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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