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Definition of assignment
task , duty , job , chore , stint , assignment mean a piece of work to be done.
task implies work imposed by a person in authority or an employer or by circumstance.
duty implies an obligation to perform or responsibility for performance.
job applies to a piece of work voluntarily performed; it may sometimes suggest difficulty or importance.
chore implies a minor routine activity necessary for maintaining a household or farm.
stint implies a carefully allotted or measured quantity of assigned work or service.
assignment implies a definite limited task assigned by one in authority.
Examples of assignment in a Sentence
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assignment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
see assign entry 1
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing assignment
- self - assignment
Dictionary Entries Near assignment
Cite this entry.
“Assignment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assignment. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.
Legal Definition
Legal definition of assignment, more from merriam-webster on assignment.
Nglish: Translation of assignment for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of assignment for Arabic Speakers
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Other forms: assignments
Whether you’re an international spy with a new mission or a high school student with math homework — when you get an assignment , you’d better do it! An assignment is a task that someone in authority has asked you to do.
The word assignment is just the noun form of the common verb assign , which you use when you want to give someone a duty or a job. When you assign something, that something is called an assignment . The word can also refer to the act of distributing something. If you are distributing new office furniture at work, you might say, “ Assignment of the new chairs will begin tomorrow.”
- noun an undertaking that you have been assigned to do (as by an instructor) see more see less types: show 6 types... hide 6 types... school assignment , schoolwork a school task performed by a student to satisfy the teacher writing assignment , written assignment an assignment to write something classroom project a school task requiring considerable effort classwork the part of a student's work that is done in the classroom homework , prep , preparation preparatory school work done outside school (especially at home) lesson a task assigned for individual study type of: labor , project , task , undertaking any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
- noun a duty that you are assigned to perform (especially in the armed forces) “a hazardous assignment ” synonyms: duty assignment see more see less types: show 10 types... hide 10 types... guard , guard duty , sentry duty , sentry go the duty of serving as a sentry fatigue , fatigue duty labor of a nonmilitary kind done by soldiers (cleaning or digging or draining or so on) charge , commission , mission a special assignment that is given to a person or group reassignment assignment to a different duty sea-duty , service abroad , shipboard duty naval service aboard a ship at sea shore duty naval service at land bases fool's errand a fruitless mission mission impossible an extremely dangerous or difficult mission martyr operation , sacrifice operation , suicide mission killing or injuring others while annihilating yourself; usually accomplished with a bomb secondment the detachment of a person from their regular organization for temporary assignment elsewhere type of: duty work that you are obliged to perform for moral or legal reasons
- noun the act of putting a person into a non-elective position synonyms: appointment , designation , naming see more see less types: show 6 types... hide 6 types... nomination the act of officially naming a candidate co-optation , co-option the act of appointing summarily (with or without the appointee's consent) delegacy the appointment of a delegate ordinance , ordination the act of ordaining; the act of conferring (or receiving) holy orders recognition designation by the chair granting a person the right to speak in a deliberative body laying on of hands laying hands on a person's head to invoke spiritual blessing in Christian ordination type of: conclusion , decision , determination the act of making up your mind about something
- noun the act of distributing something to designated places or persons “the first task is the assignment of an address to each datum” synonyms: assigning see more see less types: allocation , storage allocation (computer science) the assignment of particular areas of a magnetic disk to particular data or instructions type of: distribution the act of distributing or spreading or apportioning
- noun (law) a transfer of property by deed of conveyance synonyms: grant see more see less types: apanage , appanage a grant (by a sovereign or a legislative body) of resources to maintain a dependent member of a ruling family land grant a grant of public land (as to a railway or college) type of: transferred possession , transferred property a possession whose ownership changes or lapses
- noun the instrument by which a claim or right or interest or property is transferred from one person to another see more see less type of: instrument , legal document , legal instrument , official document (law) a document that states some contractual relationship or grants some right
Vocabulary lists containing assignment
The Dawes Act, or General Allotment Act of 1887, was a law that allowed the U.S. government to take Native American tribal lands and divide them into 40 acre lots for individual Native Americans. The goal was to break up communal tribal lands and speed the assimilation of Native Americans into American society. The Dawes Act caused great suffering with much of the land winding up in the hands of white settlers.
Learn these words from the autobiography by David Lubar (Inside: Level B, Unit 4). Here are our links to the selections of "Every Body Is a Winner": The Human Machine; My Fabulous Footprint , The Beat Goes On; All Pumped Up , Two Left Feet, Two Left Hands , How Coach Told Me; Bionics Here are our links to the units of Level B: Unit 1 , Unit 2 , Unit 3 , Unit 4 , Unit 5 , Unit 6 , Unit 7 , Unit 8 Here are our links to the Inside books: Level A , Level B , Level C Here is our link to a list of academic vocabulary for Inside: Academic Vocabulary
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- assignment (noun)
- My assignment was to clean the equipment. = They gave me the assignment of cleaning the equipment.
- The students were given a homework assignment .
- The reporter's assignment is to interview the candidate.
- The reporter is here on an assignment .
- The reporter is here on assignment .
- The article discusses the recent assignment of senators to some of the more powerful committees.
- her assignment to the embassy in India
- the computer's assignment of a number to each image
- the assignment of blame/responsibility
- the assignment of property
- She asked if she could change her seating assignment .
| a short period of time when you stop doing something so that you can rest or do something else |
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Meaning of assignment – Learner’s Dictionary
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(Definition of assignment from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)
Translations of assignment
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Word of the Day
showing a lot of teeth when you smile
Pursuing aims and meeting targets: talking about things we want to achieve
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Definition of assignment noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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- 2 [ uncountable ] the act of giving something to someone; the act of giving someone a particular task his assignment to other duties in the same company
Nearby words
IMAGES
COMMENTS
the process of giving a particular job or piece of work to someone, or of sending someone to a chosen place to do a job: assignment of the various tasks. Fewer examples. It was a jammy assignment - more of a holiday really. He took this award-winning photograph while on assignment in the Middle East.
1. : the act of assigning something. the assignment of a task. 2. a. : a position, post, or office to which one is assigned. Her assignment was to the embassy in India. b. : a specified task or amount of work assigned or undertaken as if assigned by authority. a homework assignment. 3. law : the transfer of property.
An assignment is a task that someone in authority has asked you to do. The word assignment is just the noun form of the common verb assign , which you use when you want to give someone a duty or a job.
An assignment is a task or piece of work that you are given to do, especially as part of your job or studies.
: a job or duty that is given to someone: a task someone is required to do [ count ] My assignment was to clean the equipment. = They gave me the assignment of cleaning the equipment.
[countable] a task or piece of work that somebody is given to do, usually as part of their job or studies. Students are required to complete all homework assignments. You will need to complete three written assignments per semester. a business/special assignment. I had set myself a tough assignment.
a piece of work or job that you are given to do: a written assignment. He's on assignment in Brazil. (Definition of assignment from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press) Translations of assignment. in Chinese (Traditional) （尤指學業或工作方面的）任務，功課, （被派遣到某地做的）工作, 分配（任務）… See more. in Chinese (Simplified)
assignment. noun. /əˈsaɪnmənt/. [countable, uncountable] a task or piece of work that someone is given to do, usually as part of their job or studies You will need to complete three written assignments per semester.
something assigned, as a particular task or duty: She completed the assignment and went on to other jobs. a position of responsibility, post of duty, or the like, to which one is appointed: He left for his assignment in the Middle East.
a position of responsibility, post of duty, or the like, to which one is appointed: He left for his assignment in the Middle East. Synonyms: job, obligation. an act of assigning; appointment. Law. the transference of a right, interest, or title, or the instrument of transfer. a transference of property to assignees for the benefit of creditors.