assist

assist [uh-sist] SynonymsExamplesWord Origin See more synonyms for assist on Thesaurus.com verb (used with object)

1. to give support or aid to; help: Please assist him in moving the furniture.
2. to be associated with as an assistant or helper.

verb (used without object)

3. to give aid or help.
4. to be present, as at a meeting or ceremony.

noun

5. Sports.
   1. Baseball.a play that helps to put out a batter or base runner.
   2. Basketball, Ice Hockey.a play that helps a teammate in gaining a goal.
   3. the official credit scored for such plays.
6. a helpful act: She finished her homework without an assist from her father.
7. Machinery. an electrical, hydraulic, or mechanical means of increasing power, efficiency, or ease of use: a luxury automobile equipped with assists for brakes, steering, windows, and seat adjustment.

Origin of assist 1505–15; Latin assistere to stand by, help, equivalent to as- as- + sistere to (cause to) stand (si- reduplicative prefix + -ste- (variant of sta- stand) + -re infinitive suffix)Related formsas·sist·er; Chiefly Law, as·sis·tor, nounas·sist·ive, adjectivenon·as·sist·er, nouno·ver·as·sist, verbre·as·sist, verb (used with object)un·as·sist·ed, adjectiveun·as·sist·ing, adjectivewell-as·sist·ed, adjectiveSynonyms for assist See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com 1. sustain, abet, befriend; back, promote. See help.Antonyms for assist 1. hinder, frustrate. Related Words for assist reinforce, boost, support, back, cooperate, benefit, sustain, aid, facilitate, expedite, service, backing, assistance, comfort, reinforcement, hand, collaboration, compensation, lift, furtherance Examples from the Web for assist Contemporary Examples of assist

The FBI has also been searching its records for any information that could assist the French investigation, a spokesperson added.

U.S. Spies See Al Qaeda Fingerprints on Paris Massacre

Shane Harris, Nancy A. Youssef

January 8, 2015

Not her own—but Landrieu did provide an assist to a man doing a keg stand at Louisiana State University.

Mary Landrieu-Bill Cassidy Louisiana Senate Race Heads to a Runoff

Tim Mak

November 5, 2014

Distant cousins of the Bordens are on hand to assist the cast of 20 people, some of whom are very dedicated guests.

Would You Stay in Lizzie Borden’s Ax-Murder House?

Nina Strochlic

October 30, 2014

Companies across the country donated supplies and equipment to assist him with his expedition.

Victor Mooney’s Epic Adventure for His Dead Brother

Justin Jones

October 19, 2014

The social worker will “assist staff and public with counseling and psychosocial support and communications.”

$10,000 a Month for Ebola Fighters

Abby Haglage

October 7, 2014

Historical Examples of assist

To assist the prediction of the course and occurrence of storms.

Scientific American Supplement, No. 433, April 19, 1884

Various

They command us to assist and serve him in retaining his own.

An Explanation of Luther’s Small Catechism

Joseph Stump

What is to be said about neglecting to warn or assist others?

An Explanation of Luther’s Small Catechism

Joseph Stump

It commands us to assist and comfort our neighbor in danger and want.

An Explanation of Luther’s Small Catechism

Joseph Stump

It commands us to assist our neighbor to improve and protect his own.

An Explanation of Luther’s Small Catechism

Joseph Stump

British Dictionary definitions for assist assist verb

1. to give help or support to (a person, cause, etc); aid
2. to work or act as an assistant or subordinate to (another)
3. ice hockey to help (a team-mate) to score, as by passing the puck
4. (intr foll by at) archaic to be present; attend

noun

5. US and Canadian the act of helping; aid; assistance
6. baseball the act of a player who throws or deflects a batted ball in such a way that a team is enabled to put out an opponent
7. sport
   1. a pass or other action by a player which enables another player to score a goal
   2. a credit given for such an action

Derived Formsassister, nounWord Origin for assist C15: from French assister to be present, from Latin assistere to stand by, from sistere to cause to stand, from stāre to stand Word Origin and History for assist v.

early 15c., from Middle French assister “to stand by, help, put, place, assist” (14c.), from Latin assistere “stand by, take a stand near, attend,” from ad- “to” (see ad-) + sistere “take a stand, cause to stand,” from PIE *siste-, reduplicated form of root *sta- “to stand” (see stet). Related: Assisted; assisting. Medical assisted suicide attested from 1884.

n.

1570s, “an act of assistance,” from assist (v.). In the sporting sense attested 1877 in baseball, 1925 in ice hockey.