English Reference
noun

assembly

n.
US /əˈsɛmbɫi/ UK /ɐsˈɛmbli/ as·sem·bly UK spelling assembly's

  1. 01 B1 Intermediate

    a group of people who meet together in one place for a specific reason, like a school meeting.

    a congregation of people gathered in one place for a common purpose, often used in educational or religious contexts.

    Simple

    The principal made an announcement during the morning assembly in the hall.

    In context

    The school holds a weekly assembly to celebrate student achievements and foster a sense of community among the various year groups.

  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate

    the process of building something by joining different parts together.

    the act or process of constructing a mechanism or device from its constituent parts.

    Simple

    The assembly of the new bookshelf took much longer than I expected.

    In context

    The factory streamlined the assembly of the engines, reducing the total production time by nearly fifteen percent.

    Usage

    Often used in the compound 'assembly line'.

    disassemblydismantling
  3. 03 C1 Advanced Formal Politics

    a group of people who have the power to make or change laws for a country or state.

    a formal legislative body or parliament, often representing the lower house in certain jurisdictions.

    Simple

    The national assembly voted to pass the new environmental law yesterday.

    In context

    The regional assembly debated the proposed budget for several hours before reaching a consensus on infrastructure spending.

    Usage

    Often capitalized when referring to a specific body, such as the General Assembly.

  4. 04 C1 Advanced Technical

    a complete set of parts that work together as one machine or tool.

    a discrete unit or mechanism consisting of several components that have been fitted together.

    Simple

    The mechanic had to replace the entire brake assembly because it was rusted.

    In context

    Engineers discovered a flaw in the tail assembly of the aircraft, leading to a temporary grounding of the entire fleet.

  5. 05 C2 Proficiency Technical Computing

    a low-level computer language that is very close to how a computer's hardware works.

    a low-level programming language in which there is a very strong correspondence between the instructions and the architecture's machine code.

    Simple

    He learned to write in assembly to make his computer games run faster.

    In context

    Writing the driver in assembly allowed the developer to optimize performance for the specific hardware constraints of the embedded system.

    Usage

    Uncountable when referring to the language itself.

    Teacher's tip

    In modern contexts, this is almost always a shortened form of 'assembly language'.

    assembly language

Usage assembly line

Police fired water cannon and teargas and swung batons as they tried to stop flag-waving demonstrators from clambering over barricades and surging towards the assembly in Ranchi, the state capital.

The Guardian· 10 Aug 2026

Representatives from the BMA will go to Stormont on Thursday where they will meet with the chair and deputy chair of the assembly's health committee to discuss the pay dispute.

BBC News· 25 Jun 2026
This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Common
Updated