assist

Meanings

1. To help someone do something.
2. In sport, to pass the ball so that a teammate scores.

Example sentences

• "The nurse assisted the doctor during the operation."

  Level B1, Meaning 1

• "Can I assist you with your bags?"

  Level B1, Meaning 1

• "The guide will assist visitors at the museum."

  Level B1, Meaning 1

• "He made three assists in the game."

  Level B2, Meaning 2

Synonyms and antonyms

Look-alikes and common mistakes

• help : Help is the everyday word. Assist is more formal and often fits work or service.
• aid : Aid is help, especially in a crisis. Assist is calmer and usual in a job.

Word family and forms

Forms: assists, assisted, assisting

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "assist".

• assist someone
• assist with
• assist in
• can I assist you
• a helpful assistant
• assisted living

Origin

Assist came into English in the 1500s from Latin assistere, which meant to stand by or to help, by way of Old French assister. The Latin verb is built from ad, meaning to, and sistere, to cause to stand, from stare, to stand. To assist is first to stand next to someone.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

How to remember it

Assist has sist in it, like in resist and persist. The root means to stand: to assist is to stand by someone.

Test yourself

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