assemble
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to put different parts together to build or make something.
to fit together the separate component parts of a machine or other object. Transitive; requires a direct object.
Simple“The instructions explain how to assemble the bookshelf in under an hour.”
In context“The technicians had to assemble the satellite in a clean room to prevent any dust from interfering with the delicate optical sensors.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
to come together in a single place as a group.
to gather together in one place for a common purpose. Used both transitively (to bring people together) and intransitively (to meet).
Simple“The students were told to assemble in the main hall for the announcement.”
In context“The protesters began to assemble outside the parliament building, carrying banners and waiting for the organisers to arrive.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
to translate computer instructions into a language the machine can understand.
to translate a programme from assembly language into machine code. Transitive; specific to low-level programming contexts.
Simple“The developer used a tool to assemble the code for the new processor.”
In context“Before the software can be executed on the hardware, the source code must be assembled into a binary format that the CPU can process directly.”
SynonymsAntonymsdisassemble
“In Ruteng, a temporary medical tent was also assembled outside of a hospital to treat earthquake victims.”
“The only way to shed light on them would be to assemble a catalogue of species across the cosmos and study their history.”
From Middle English assemblen, from Old French assembler (“to assemble”), from Medieval Latin assimulāre (“to bring together”), from ad- + simulō (“copy, imitate”), from similis (“like, similar”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“together, one”). Doublet of assimilate.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.