Synonyms

assert

American

[uh-surt] / əˈsɜrt /

verb (used with object)

to state with assurance, confidence, or force; state strongly or positively; affirm; aver.

He asserted his innocence of the crime.

Synonyms:

maintain, avow, asseverate

Antonyms:

deny
to maintain or defend (claims, rights, etc.).

Synonyms:

support, uphold
to state as having existence; affirm; postulate.

to assert a first cause as necessary.

idioms

assert oneself, to insist on one's rights, declare one's views forcefully, etc..

The candidate finally asserted himself about property taxes.

assert British

/ əˈsɜːt /

verb

to insist upon (rights, claims, etc)
(may take a clause as object) to state to be true; declare categorically
to put (oneself) forward in an insistent manner

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See declare. See maintain.

Other Word Forms

asserter noun
assertible adjective
assertor noun
misassert verb (used with object)
overassert verb (used with object)
preassert verb (used with object)
reassert verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of assert

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin assertus “joined to, defended, claimed,” past participle of asserere “to join to, defend,” from as- as- + serere “to connect” ( series )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The nation of tropical islands in the Indian Ocean is asserting sovereignty over the Chagos Islands and is threatening international legal action to press its claim.

From BBC

“The only harm X has asserted is that its customers collectively chose X’s competitors over X,” Senior U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the first pages of “Returning,” Mr. Lemann asserts his identification with Jack Burden, the narrator of Robert Penn Warren’s 1946 political novel, “All the King’s Men.”

From The Wall Street Journal

So, a week after asserting in this column that investors should prepare for a longer war, we must now confront the specter of a shorter war too.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023