assignment

noun

uh-SYN-muhnt/əˈsaɪnmənt/

9 meanings of assignment

1
nouncountable
A job or piece of work that someone gives you to do.
Like a chore your parents ask you to finish before dinner.
My boss handed me a new assignment on Monday morning.
Each volunteer received an assignment for the weekend event.
Similartask, job, mission, duty, project
2
nouncountable
A piece of school work that a teacher gives students to do.
Like the list of tasks a teacher writes on the board for you to do at home.
The teacher gave us a math assignment for the weekend.
I finished my reading assignment before dinner.
Similarhomework, task, project, coursework
Note
3
noununcountable
The act of giving someone a job or a set of tasks to do.
Like a coach deciding which player goes to each position.
The assignment of duties happened at the start of the shift.
Fair assignment of chores kept the household running smoothly.
Similarallocation, allotment, distribution, delegation
Note
4
nouncountable
A job or post that someone is sent to fill.
Like being given a desk in a new part of the building.
Her new assignment took her to a base overseas.
He accepted an assignment in the Tokyo office.
Similarposting, post, position, appointment, placement
5
nouncountable or uncountable
The passing of a right or benefit from one person to another.
Like handing your ticket to a friend so they can use it instead.
The assignment of the lease let the new tenant take over.
She agreed to the assignment of her royalties to the publisher.
Similartransfer, conveyance
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6
nouncountable
A legal paper that carries out the transfer of a right from one person to another.
Like a form you fill out to put a car in someone else's name.
She signed the assignment to make the transfer official.
The lawyer drafted an assignment for both parties to sign.
Similarconveyance
Note
7
nouncountable
A step in a program that gives a value to a variable.
Like writing a name on a box so you know what's inside.
The assignment sets the score to zero at the start.
A simple assignment puts the number five into the counter.
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8
noununcountable
The act of putting something into a group it belongs to.
Like sorting toys into the right boxes by color.
The assignment of each book to a genre helped readers find them.
Correct assignment of items to bins keeps the warehouse organized.
Similarclassification, categorization, allocation, attribution
9
noununcountable
The act of recording a person as male or female, usually at birth.
Like checking a box for 'boy' or 'girl' on a form.
The assignment of sex at birth is noted on the certificate.
Doctors make the assignment based on a quick examination.
Note

Practice

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Origin

It comes from Old French, through Middle English. It is 'assign' plus '-ment'.