Definition of "assert" in English

verb

1. To declare with assurance or plainly and strongly; to state positively.

   • He would often assert that there was life on other planets.

2. To use or exercise and thereby prove the existence of.

   • to assert one's authority
   • Salman Rushdie has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work.

3. To maintain or defend, as a cause or a claim, by words or measures; to vindicate a claim or title to.

   • to assert our rights and liberties

4. (reflexive) To insist on the legitimacy of one's rights, opinion, etc; not to allow oneself to be dismissed; to ensure that one is taken into consideration; to make oneself respected; to be assertive. See assert oneself.

   • Since going to therapy, I've found it much easier to assert myself.

5. (programming) To declare that a condition or expression must be true at a certain point in the source code (in some cases causing the program to fail if it is not, as a safeguard).

6. (electronics) To set a signal on a line using a voltage or electric current.

noun

1. (programming) Synonym of assertion.