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Definition of assignment
task , duty , job , chore , stint , assignment mean a piece of work to be done.
task implies work imposed by a person in authority or an employer or by circumstance.
duty implies an obligation to perform or responsibility for performance.
job applies to a piece of work voluntarily performed; it may sometimes suggest difficulty or importance.
chore implies a minor routine activity necessary for maintaining a household or farm.
stint implies a carefully allotted or measured quantity of assigned work or service.
assignment implies a definite limited task assigned by one in authority.
Example Sentences
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'assignment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback .
Word History
see assign entry 1
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing assignment
- self - assignment
Dictionary Entries Near assignment
Cite this entry.
“Assignment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assignment. Accessed 13 Mar. 2023.
Legal Definition
Legal definition of assignment, more from merriam-webster on assignment.
Nglish: Translation of assignment for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of assignment for Arabic Speakers
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Meaning of assignment in English
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- It was a plum assignment - more of a vacation really.
- He took this award-winning photograph while on assignment in the Middle East .
- His two-year assignment to the Mexico office starts in September .
- She first visited Norway on assignment for the winter Olympics ten years ago.
- He fell in love with the area after being there on assignment for National Geographic in the 1950s.
- act as something
- all work and no play (makes Jack a dull boy) idiom
- be at work idiom
- be in work idiom
- housekeeping
- in the line of duty idiom
- join duty idiom
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
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assignment | Intermediate English
Assignment | business english, examples of assignment, collocations with assignment.
These are words often used in combination with assignment .
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Translations of assignment
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to judge the number or amount of something by using the information that you already have, and adding, taking away, multiplying, or dividing numbers
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assignments
Whether you’re an international spy with a new mission or a high school student with math homework — when you get an assignment , you’d better do it! An assignment is a task that someone in authority has asked you to do.
The word assignment is just the noun form of the common verb assign , which you use when you want to give someone a duty or a job. When you assign something, that something is called an assignment . The word can also refer to the act of distributing something. If you are distributing new office furniture at work, you might say, “ Assignment of the new chairs will begin tomorrow.”
- noun an undertaking that you have been assigned to do (as by an instructor) see more see less types: show 6 types... hide 6 types... school assignment , schoolwork a school task performed by a student to satisfy the teacher writing assignment , written assignment an assignment to write something classroom project a school task requiring considerable effort classwork the part of a student's work that is done in the classroom homework , prep , preparation preparatory school work done outside school (especially at home) lesson a task assigned for individual study type of: labor , project , task , undertaking any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
- noun a duty that you are assigned to perform (especially in the armed forces) “a hazardous assignment ” synonyms: duty assignment see more see less types: show 10 types... hide 10 types... guard , guard duty , sentry duty , sentry go the duty of serving as a sentry fatigue , fatigue duty labor of a nonmilitary kind done by soldiers (cleaning or digging or draining or so on) charge , commission , mission a special assignment that is given to a person or group reassignment assignment to a different duty sea-duty , service abroad , shipboard duty naval service aboard a ship at sea shore duty naval service at land bases fool's errand a fruitless mission mission impossible an extremely dangerous or difficult mission martyr operation , sacrifice operation , suicide mission killing or injuring others while annihilating yourself; usually accomplished with a bomb secondment the detachment of a person from their regular organization for temporary assignment elsewhere type of: duty work that you are obliged to perform for moral or legal reasons
- noun the act of putting a person into a non-elective position synonyms: appointment , designation , naming see more see less types: show 6 types... hide 6 types... nomination the act of officially naming a candidate co-optation , co-option the act of appointing summarily (with or without the appointee's consent) delegacy the appointment of a delegate ordinance , ordination the act of ordaining; the act of conferring (or receiving) holy orders recognition designation by the chair granting a person the right to speak in a deliberative body laying on of hands laying hands on a person's head to invoke spiritual blessing in Christian ordination type of: conclusion , decision , determination the act of making up your mind about something
- noun the act of distributing something to designated places or persons “the first task is the assignment of an address to each datum” synonyms: assigning see more see less types: allocation , storage allocation (computer science) the assignment of particular areas of a magnetic disk to particular data or instructions type of: distribution the act of distributing or spreading or apportioning
- noun (law) a transfer of property by deed of conveyance synonyms: grant see more see less types: apanage , appanage a grant (by a sovereign or a legislative body) of resources to maintain a dependent member of a ruling family land grant a grant of public land (as to a railway or college) type of: transferred possession , transferred property a possession whose ownership changes or lapses
- noun the instrument by which a claim or right or interest or property is transferred from one person to another see more see less type of: instrument , legal document , legal instrument , official document (law) a document that states some contractual relationship or grants some right
Vocabulary lists containing assignment
For a better understanding of the words you learned on Rosetta Stone Foundations, simply start a practice session! You’ll learn additional meanings and different contexts that will help you become a stronger reader and writer.
This list focuses on global management (Part 2, Chapter 8). Here are links to all the chapters in Part 2, Planning: Chapter 5 , Chapter 6 , Chapter 7 , Chapter 8 Here are links to all the parts of the textbook published by South-Western Cengage Learning: Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4 , Part 5
Learn these words from the autobiography by David Lubar (Inside: Level B, Unit 4). Here are our links to the selections of "Every Body Is a Winner": The Human Machine; My Fabulous Footprint , The Beat Goes On; All Pumped Up , Two Left Feet, Two Left Hands , How Coach Told Me; Bionics Here are our links to the units of Level B: Unit 1 , Unit 2 , Unit 3 , Unit 4 , Unit 5 , Unit 6 , Unit 7 , Unit 8 Here are our links to the Inside books: Level A , Level B , Level C Here is our link to a list of academic vocabulary for Inside: Academic Vocabulary
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- the transference of a right, interest, or title, or the instrument of transfer.
- a transference of property to assignees for the benefit of creditors.
OTHER WORDS FOR assignment
Origin of assignment, synonym study for assignment, other words from assignment, words that may be confused with assignment, words nearby assignment, words related to assignment, how to use assignment in a sentence.
Yariel Valdés González and I faced these challenges while on assignment in South Florida and the Deep South from July 21-Aug.
They’re putting time into decoration just as they would in their physical classroom, and students can interact with the space by, say, clicking on a bookshelf to get a reading assignment .
For now, if the district moves to in-person learning, instruction in Carlsbad will take place on campus five days per week and students may engage in additional independent practices and other assignment s at home.
The assignment s must also respect the relationships between the elements in the group.
It’s very hard, by the way, to do real random assignment studies of couples therapy.
His most recent assignment was the 84th Precinct, at the Brooklyn end of the Brooklyn Bridge.
When Lewis was shipped off to Vietnam, his son was just three months old, and the timing of the assignment worried Lewis.
When Vial got that first assignment , she was just beginning her photography career, and Cirque du Soleil was only a few years old.
“For our winter issue, we gave ourselves one assignment : Break The Internet,” wrote Paper.
By the 1950s the rapid assignment of gender to an ambiguously gendered infant had become standard.
Consent to an assignment may be given by the president of the company, without formal vote by the directors.
A transfer by the lessee of the whole or a part of his interest for a part of the time is a sublease and not an assignment .
An assignment to one who has an insurable interest as relative, creditor and the like, is always valid.
When an assignment of it is made, the assignee may sue in his own name for rent accruing after the assignment .
In some states statutes forbid the assignment of such policies for the benefit of creditors.
British Dictionary definitions for assignment
- the transfer to another of a right, interest, or title to property, esp personal property assignment of a lease
- the document effecting such a transfer
- the right, interest, or property transferred
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Options and Derivatives
Strategy & Education
Assignment: Definition in Finance, How It Works, and Examples
Adam Hayes, Ph.D., CFA, is a financial writer with 15+ years Wall Street experience as a derivatives trader. Besides his extensive derivative trading expertise, Adam is an expert in economics and behavioral finance. Adam received his master's in economics from The New School for Social Research and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in sociology. He is a CFA charterholder as well as holding FINRA Series 7, 55 & 63 licenses. He currently researches and teaches economic sociology and the social studies of finance at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
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Yarilet Perez is an experienced multimedia journalist and fact-checker with a Master of Science in Journalism. She has worked in multiple cities covering breaking news, politics, education, and more. Her expertise is in personal finance and investing, and real estate.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/YariletPerez-d2289cb01c3c4f2aabf79ce6057e5078.jpg "assignment means it")
What Is an Assignment?
Assignment most often refers to one of two definitions in the financial world:
- The transfer of an individual's rights or property to another person or business. This concept exists in a variety of business transactions and is often spelled out contractually.
- In trading, assignment occurs when an option contract is exercised. The owner of the contract exercises the contract and assigns the option writer to an obligation to complete the requirements of the contract.
Key Takeaways
- Assignment is a transfer of rights or property from one party to another.
- Options assignments occur when option buyers exercise their rights to a position in a security.
- Other examples of assignments can be found in wages, mortgages, and leases.
Property Rights Assignment
Assignment refers to the transfer of some or all property rights and obligations associated with an asset, property, contract, etc. to another entity through a written agreement. For example, a payee assigns rights for collecting note payments to a bank. A trademark owner transfers, sells, or gives another person interest in the trademark. A homeowner who sells their house assigns the deed to the new buyer.
To be effective, an assignment must involve parties with legal capacity, consideration, consent, and legality of object.
A wage assignment is a forced payment of an obligation by automatic withholding from an employee’s pay. Courts issue wage assignments for people late with child or spousal support, taxes, loans, or other obligations. Money is automatically subtracted from a worker's paycheck without consent if they have a history of nonpayment. For example, a person delinquent on $100 monthly loan payments has a wage assignment deducting the money from their paycheck and sent to the lender. Wage assignments are helpful in paying back long-term debts.
Another instance can be found in a mortgage assignment. This is where a mortgage deed gives a lender interest in a mortgaged property in return for payments received. Lenders often sell mortgages to third parties, such as other lenders. A mortgage assignment document clarifies the assignment of contract and instructs the borrower in making future mortgage payments, and potentially modifies the mortgage terms.
A final example involves a lease assignment. This benefits a relocating tenant wanting to end a lease early or a landlord looking for rent payments to pay creditors. Once the new tenant signs the lease, taking over responsibility for rent payments and other obligations, the previous tenant is released from those responsibilities. In a separate lease assignment, a landlord agrees to pay a creditor through an assignment of rent due under rental property leases. The agreement is used to pay a mortgage lender if the landlord defaults on the loan or files for bankruptcy . Any rental income would then be paid directly to the lender.
Options Assignment
Options can be assigned when a buyer decides to exercise their right to buy (or sell) stock at a particular strike price . The corresponding seller of the option is not determined when a buyer opens an option trade, but only at the time that an option holder decides to exercise their right to buy stock. So an option seller with open positions is matched with the exercising buyer via automated lottery. The randomly selected seller is then assigned to fulfill the buyer's rights. This is known as an option assignment.
Once assigned, the writer (seller) of the option will have the obligation to sell (if a call option ) or buy (if a put option ) the designated number of shares of stock at the agreed-upon price (the strike price). For instance, if the writer sold calls they would be obligated to sell the stock, and the process is often referred to as having the stock called away . For puts, the buyer of the option sells stock (puts stock shares) to the writer in the form of a short-sold position.
Suppose a trader owns 100 call options on company ABC's stock with a strike price of $10 per share. The stock is now trading at $30 and ABC is due to pay a dividend shortly. As a result, the trader exercises the options early and receives 10,000 shares of ABC paid at $10. At the same time, the other side of the long call (the short call) is assigned the contract and must deliver the shares to the long.
Trading Instruments
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Difference Between Assignment and Transfer
The difference between assignment and transfer is that assign means it's legal to transfer property or a legal right from one person to another. 3 min read
The difference between assignment and transfer is that assign means it's legal to transfer property or a legal right from one person to another, while transfer means it's legal to arrange for something to be controlled by or officially belong to another person.
When used as verbs, assign means to set apart or designate something for a purpose while transfer means to pass or move from one person, place, or thing to someone or someplace else. When used as nouns, assign means the assignee and transfer is the act of removing or conveying something from one person, thing, or place to another. Transfer generally refers to titles whereas assignment is used with obligations and rights.
Definitions of Assignment and Transfer
- Assignment: Assignment is used in real estate law and contracts law. It covers the transfer of rights held by the assignor to the assignee.
- Transfer: To remove or convey from one person or place to someone or somewhere else.
Distinction Between Assignment and Transfer
When distinguishing between assignment and transfer, take licenses, for example. Licenses are contracts that don't allow legal action for infringement. They fall under state law. Therefore, state law will decide whether the license is an obligation or right that can be transferred or assigned legally.
One way to distinguish this example is that an individual contract under an agreement cannot be assigned, like entitlement to grant back royalties . In addition, the contract cannot be transferred. You need to break it down and figure out what the actual issue is — the parties' intent. An additional distinction is when the contract holder is an entity and the business owners want to transfer a portion or all of their stock. This can be seen as an implied transfer of the whole contract. However, it would not likely be an assignment of the rights covered under this agreement.
Difference Between Assign and License
The key difference between assign and license is that with a license, the person who grants permission, known as the licensor, keeps an interest in the product being licensed . In an assignment, the assignor will transfer his or her rights to the product or property being assigned.
Another difference is that assignments must be in writing and a license can be executed without being written. Consider, for example, intellectual property such as patents. Patents can be licensed verbally in some instances, but assignments for patents must be in writing and filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office .
Assignments grant the assignee full ownership of a product or property. Therefore, an assignment will typically cost more to acquire than a license.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there ever situations in which a license can be transferred but is not assignable?
- Yes, in the case of allowing an assignment to one of your affiliates, the assignor would still be liable for the performance of the agreement under general assignment law. In this situation, you would not typically permit a transfer, because in a transfer, the person transferring would not maintain any obligations related to performance. Don't rely solely on this general understanding, but still expressly detail your agreement on what a licensee can legally do.
How will transfer and assignment rights affect someone's ability to sublicense?
- In theory, if a licensee has the authority to assign license rights to someone else, you could argue that it also provides the right to sublicense it. The issue here is that with a sublicense, the person sublicensing it keeps a license right, therefore effectively creating two licensees. With an assignment, only one right is assigned, and the assignee is the one who has possession of the license. With well-drafted licenses, the right to sublicense is not typically implied, as the licensor is the one who reserves all rights that are not expressly granted.
What is the effect of poorly drafted licenses?
- A poorly drafted license could result in giving someone implied rights to also sublicense. An example is a software license that allows a licensee to access the software without clarifying any restrictions or clearly defining the word “use.” This means that, depending on what this software is supposed to do, someone could think the term “use” means the licensee has permission to grant a sublicense as part of their usage rights.
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Unit Assignment definition
Examples of unit assignment in a sentence.
Without limiting Section 13.2, the Certificate of Organization, this Agreement, the Unit Assignment Policy, any statements of authority that are executed pursuant to Sections 4.1 or 10.3 and any exhibits and schedules to this Agreement constitute the entire agreement pertaining to the subject matters of this Agreement and supersede all negotiations, preliminary agreements and all prior or contemporaneous discussions and understandings in connection with the subject matters of this Agreement.
Subject to the provisions of Section 5(b), the option price per share shall be determined by the Committee but shall not be less than 100% of the fair market value of such shares at the time the option is granted.
Unit Assignment – Housing Services reserves the right, as necessary, to reassign you to a different unit at any time.
The Company shall make a copy of the then current Unit Assignment Policy available to each Member upon the Member's reasonable request from time to time.
An assignee of a Unit pursuant to an Assignment made in accordance with Section 9.1 and the Unit Assignment Policy and who is already a Member at the effective time of the Assignment shall become a Substitute Member with respect to the Unit effective immediately upon the effective time of the Assignment, and such assignee shall be conclusively deemed to have accepted the Unit subject to and upon the terms and conditions of the Certificate of Organization and this Agreement.
More Definitions of Unit Assignment
IMAGES
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COMMENTS
assignment implies a definite limited task assigned by one in authority. a reporter's assignment. Example Sentences.
That means providing training opportunities, mentoring, networking, stretch assignments, and on-the-job learning that will enhance their
An assignment is a task or piece of work that you are given to do, especially as part of your job or studies. The assessment for the course involves written
The word assignment is just the noun form of the common verb assign, which you use when you want to give someone a duty or a job. When you assign something
assignment · something assigned, as a particular task or duty: She completed the assignment and went on to other jobs. · a position of responsibility, post of
An assignment is the transfer of rights or property. In financial markets, it is a notice to an options writer that the option has been exercised.
The difference between assignment and transfer is that assign means it's legal to transfer property or a legal right from one person to another.
New Assignment means the first priority deed of assignment of the Insurances, Earnings, Charters and Requisition Compensation of the Mamitsa Vessel to be
Define Unit Assignment. is defined in Section 6(b). ... Unit Assignment means either your workbook or blended learning unit(online workbook) in the
An assignment is a legal term used in the context of the law of contract and of property. In both instances, assignment is the process whereby a person