ENGLISH
REFERENCE

assert

v.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //əˈsɝt// UK //ɐsˈɜːt// as·sert

v. to state a fact or belief confidently and forcefully. You use this when you want to show that you are sure about what you are saying.

v. to state a fact or belief confidently and forcefully; to demonstrate or exercise a right or authority. In technical contexts, it refers to the act of setting a boolean condition to true or verifying that a condition holds.


SIMPLE

She continues to assert her innocence despite the evidence.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager had to assert his authority when the team refused to follow the new safety protocols.

COMPLEX

While the software is designed to assert certain security protocols automatically, the user must still manually verify that the underlying network remains encrypted during the entire data transfer process.

Synonyms
Origin

From Latin assertus, perfect passive participle of asserō (“declare someone free or a slave by laying hands upon him; hence free from, protect, defend; lay claim to, assert, declare”), from ad (“to”) + serō (“join, range in a row”).

Usage

The verb is transitive and typically takes a direct object or a 'that' clause.

Pitfall

He asserted to be rightHe asserted that he was rightAssert is not followed by an infinitive; it requires a 'that' clause or a direct noun object.

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