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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

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 20 Nov. 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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Cambridge Dictionary

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Meaning of assignment in English

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  • It was a jammy assignment - more of a holiday really.
  • He took this award-winning photograph while on assignment in the Middle East .
  • His two-year assignment to the Mexico office starts in September .
  • She first visited Norway on assignment for the winter Olympics ten years ago.
  • He fell in love with the area after being there on assignment for National Geographic in the 1950s.
  • act as something phrasal verb
  • all work and no play (makes Jack a dull boy) idiom
  • be at work idiom
  • be in work idiom
  • housekeeping
  • in the line of duty idiom
  • undertaking

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

assignment | American Dictionary

Assignment | business english, examples of assignment, collocations with assignment.

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Translations of assignment

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stupid and unreasonable, or silly in a humorous way

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does assignment have a plural form

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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

  • 1.1 Etymology
  • 1.2 Pronunciation
  • 1.3.1 Hyponyms
  • 1.3.2 Derived terms
  • 1.3.3 Translations
  • 1.4 References
  • 2.1 Alternative forms
  • 2.2 Etymology
  • 2.3 Pronunciation
  • 2.4.1 Synonyms
  • 2.5 References

From Middle English assignement , from Old French assignement . By surface analysis , assign +‎ -ment .

Pronunciation

  • IPA ( key ) : /əˈsaɪnmənt/

Hyphenation: a‧ssign‧ment

  • Rhymes: -aɪnmənt

assignment ( countable and uncountable , plural assignments )

  • The act of assigning ; the allocation of a job or a set of tasks . This flow chart represents the assignment of tasks in our committee.
  • ( LGBTQ ) The categorization of persons as belonging to the male or female sex .
  • An assigned task . The assignment the department gave him proved to be quite challenging.
  • A position to which someone is assigned. Unbeknownst to Mr Smith, his new assignment was in fact a demotion.
  • ( education ) A task given to students, such as homework or coursework . Mrs Smith gave out our assignments , and said we had to finish them by Monday.
  • ( law ) A transfer of a right or benefit from one person to another. The assignment of the lease has not been finalised yet.
  • ( law ) A document that effects this transfer. Once you receive the assignment in the post, be sure to sign it and send it back as soon as possible.
  • ( programming ) An operation that assigns a value to a variable .
  • ( programming ) : augmented assignment

Derived terms

  • antiassignment
  • assignment operator
  • frequency assignment
  • misassignment
  • nonassignment
  • Procrustean assignment
  • reassignment
  • time-assignment speech interpolation
  • unassignment
  • understand the assignment

Translations

Alternative forms.

  • asm ( pseudo-acronym )

From English assignment .

  • Cantonese ( Jyutping ) : aa 6 saai 1 man 4
  • Jyutping : aa 6 saai 1 man 4
  • Yale : ah s ā ai màhn
  • Cantonese Pinyin : aa 6 saai 1 man 4
  • Guangdong Romanization : a 6 sai 1 men 4
  • Sinological IPA ( key ) : /aː²² saːi̯ ⁵⁵ mɐn²¹/
  • ( Hong Kong Cantonese ) assignment ; homework ; coursework ( Classifier : 份 c )
  • Bauer, Robert S. ( 2021 ) ABC Cantonese-English Comprehensive Dictionary , Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, →ISBN , page 10
  • English Loanwords in Hong Kong Cantonese

does assignment have a plural form

  • English terms inherited from Middle English
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  • English terms derived from Old French
  • English terms suffixed with -ment
  • English 3-syllable words
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  • Rhymes:English/aɪnmənt
  • Rhymes:English/aɪnmənt/3 syllables
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  • English nouns
  • English uncountable nouns
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  • English terms with usage examples
  • en:Education
  • en:Programming
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'assignment' - Complete English Word Guide

Definitions of 'assignment', grammar question, pronunciation of 'assignment'.

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English usage

Synonyms of 'assignment', collocations with the word 'assignment', examples of 'assignment'  in a sentence, translations of 'assignment', 'assignment' in other languages.

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COMMENTS

  1. What is the plural of assignment

    Here's the word you're looking for. Answer. The noun assignment can be countable or uncountable. In more general, commonly used, contexts, the plural form will also be assignment. However, in more specific contexts, the plural form can also be assignments e.g. in reference to various types of assignments or a collection of assignments.

  2. Assignment Definition & Meaning

    How to use assignment in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Assignment. the act of assigning something; a position, post, or office to which one is assigned… See the full definition. Games; Games; Word of the Day; Grammar ... Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide. The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

  3. ASSIGNMENT

    ASSIGNMENT definition: 1. a piece of work given to someone, typically as part of their studies or job: 2. a job that…. Learn more.

  4. ASSIGNMENT definition in American English

    something that has been assigned, such as a mission or task. 2. a position or post to which a person is assigned. 3. the act of assigning or state of being assigned. 4. law. a. the transfer to another of a right, interest, or title to property, esp personal property. assignment of a lease.

  5. Assignment Plural, What is the plural of Assignment?

    Assignment as a Plural Noun in Example Sentences: The teacher handed out challenging assignments to the students. The assignments required extensive research and analysis. The students completed their math assignments before the deadline. The assignments involved writing persuasive essays on current issues.

  6. Assignment Definition & Meaning

    1. : 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. The students were given a homework assignment. The reporter's assignment is to interview the candidate. The reporter is here on an assignment.

  7. assignment noun

    1 [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. She is in Greece on an assignment for one of the Sunday newspapers. one of our reporters on assignment in China I had given myself a tough assignment. a business/special assignment

  8. assignment

    assignment (computer science) The act of assigning; the allocation of a job or a set of tasks. This flow chart represents the assignment of tasks in our committee. The categorization of something as belonging to a specific category. We should not condone the assignment of asylum seekers to that of people smugglers.

  9. All resources related to 'assignment'

    A complete guide to the word "ASSIGNMENT": definitions, pronunciations, synonyms, grammar insights, collocations, examples, and translations. TRANSLATOR. ... These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content that does not reflect the opinions or policies of Collins. Read more. You will also be given an optional ...

  10. Assignment

    An assignment is a task that someone in authority has asked you to do. SKIP TO CONTENT. Dictionary; Vocabulary Lists; ... 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, ...