Assistant Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms assistant American [uh-sis-tuhnt] / əˈsɪs tənt /

noun

1. a person who assists or gives aid and support; helper.

2. a person who is subordinate to another in rank, function, etc.; one holding a secondary rank in an office or post.

   He was assistant to the office manager.

   Synonyms: adjutant, aide

3. something that aids and supplements another.

4. a faculty member of a college or university who ranks below an instructor and whose responsibilities usually include grading papers, supervising laboratories, and assisting in teaching.

adjective

1. assisting; helpful.

2. serving in an immediately subordinate position; of secondary rank.

   an assistant coach.

assistant British / əˈsɪstənt /

noun

1. 1. a person who assists, esp in a subordinate position

   2. ( as modifier )

      assistant manager

2. See shop assistant

"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

adjective

1. archaic helpful or useful as an aid

"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

Other Word Forms

• nonassistant noun
• unassistant adjective

Etymology

Origin of assistant

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English assistent, from Latin assistent-, stem of assistēns “standing by,” present participle of assistere “to stand by, help”; assist

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.

Some Chinese local governments have jumped on the bandwagon too, promoting the use of the AI assistant as Beijing pushes to develop cutting-edge tech.

From The Wall Street Journal

Last week, the State Department’s assistant secretary for consular affairs urged Americans visiting the Middle East to leave via commercial air travel.

From MarketWatch

Ms. Roth is an assistant commerce secretary and administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Wilson was a deputy assistant secretary at the Treasury Department, 1986-89.

From The Wall Street Journal

Two other assistants, called DingDing and Cylo, can also be seen behind the black curtain — their faces hidden in knitted clown masks or shielded by makeup.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• aide
• apprentice
• associate
• attendant
• backup
• colleague
• companion
• deputy
• friend
• partner
• representative
• secretary

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.