assemble

verb

as·​sem·​ble ə-ˈsem-bəl How to pronounce assemble (audio)
assembled; assembling ə-ˈsem-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce assemble (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to bring together (as in a particular place or for a particular purpose)
They assembled a team of experts to solve the problem.
2
: to fit together the parts of
assemble a new bicycle

intransitive verb

: to meet together : convene
The club assembles once a month.
Choose the Right Synonym for assemble

gather, collect, assemble, congregate mean to come or bring together into a group, mass, or unit.

gather is the most general term for bringing or coming together from a spread-out or scattered state.

a crowd quickly gathered

collect often implies careful selection or orderly arrangement.

collected books on gardening

assemble implies an ordered union or organization of persons or things often for a definite purpose.

experts assembled for a conference

congregate implies a spontaneous flocking together into a crowd or huddle.

congregating under a shelter

Examples of assemble in a Sentence

We'll need to assemble a list of songs for the concert. She assembled all of her old photos into three albums. Hundreds of notes and letters were assembled into a book. A team of scientists was assembled to study the problem. The U.S. Constitution gives people the right to assemble peacefully. A crowd had assembled in front of the courthouse during the trial. After dinner, the men would assemble in the living room to watch the game on TV. The club assembles once a month to discuss upcoming activities. Their father helped them assemble their new bicycles in the garage. The cars are assembled on an assembly line.
Recent Examples on the Web With the security of a classic narrative backbone—dead body turns up; detectives sort it out—French’s Murder Squad assembles new coalitions of novel parts: shifting points of view, patterned switches in time, narration that zooms closer in and further out. Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024 Behind a partition, Ali and Abu Reem were assembling their costumes. Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Some of the biggest names in rock and country music will assemble to honor the late Jimmy Buffett at the tribute concert Keep the Party Going, which will take place April 11 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Spin Staff, SPIN, 11 Mar. 2024 One focus will be on how companies in these countries assemble, test and package semiconductors, with packaging centered around protecting chips in casings and connecting them to other components. The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024 Despite posturing from president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, that late signings risk disrupting the group already assembled, no team has been more aggressive in scooping up free agents who waited out the slow-moving market all the way into spring training. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2024 All of which means that delivering the satisfying, sink-into-your-sofa consolation of such shows involves a hectic, grueling, often maddening sprint to assemble new troupes of actors week after week, with casting directors receiving hundreds, sometimes thousands of submissions for every role. Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 It was assembled here, in secret and well away from the main production line. Alistair Charlton, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 But instead of paint, the new car employs the latest iteration of colored electronic ink—the kind used in e-readers like Kindles—to bring Mahlangu’s vibrant work to life, assembling itself, and marching across the vehicle’s body. Brett Berk, Robb Report, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assemble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English asemblen, assemblen "(intransitive) to come together, congregate, meet, (transitive) to bring together, gather," borrowed from Anglo-French asembler, assembler (also continental Old French), going back to Vulgar Latin *assimulāre, from Latin as- as- + Vulgar Latin *-simulāre, verbal derivative of Latin simul "in company, together, at the same time" — more at simultaneous

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of assemble was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near assemble

Cite this Entry

“Assemble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assemble. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

assemble

verb
as·​sem·​ble ə-ˈsem-bəl How to pronounce assemble (audio)
assembled; assembling -b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce assemble (audio)
1
: to collect into one place or group
assembled the crew
2
: to fit together the parts of
assemble a toy
3
: to meet together
the right to assemble peacefully
Etymology

Middle English assemblen "to bring together, assemble," from early French assembler (same meaning), derived from Latin ad- "to" and simul "together" — related to ensemble, simultaneous

Legal Definition

assemble

verb
as·​sem·​ble
assembled; assembling

transitive verb

: to bring or summon together into a group especially in a particular place for a particular purpose

intransitive verb

: to come or meet together in a group often formally or for a common purpose
the right of the people peaceably to assembleU.S. Constitution amend. I

More from Merriam-Webster on assemble

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