Meaning & use
assess
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To examine something carefully and judge its quality, value, risk, or importance.
Grammar: Takes an object: assess the risk, not assess about the risk.
Patterns
- assess something
- assess whether something
- assess something as something
Engineers assessed the bridge before reopening it to traffic.
The teacher assessed each essay for clarity, evidence, and organization.
We need time to assess whether the plan is safe.
verbtransitivebusinessfinance
To estimate the amount, cost, or value of something for an official purpose.
Grammar: Also takes an object, but the result is often a money figure: assess the damage at five thousand dollars.
Patterns
- assess something at an amount
- assess the cost of something
- assess a property
The insurer assessed the flood damage at twelve thousand dollars.
A surveyor will assess the property before the sale is finalized.
The city assesses each home for tax purposes.
Word forms
| third person singular | assesses |
|---|---|
| past tense | assessed |
| past participle | assessed |
| -ing form | assessing |
Common combinations
- assess the risk
- Before hiking in winter, assess the risk of ice and sudden weather changes.
- assess the damage
- Workers assessed the damage after the storm blocked the road.
- assess a situation
- The nurse quickly assessed the situation and called for help.
- carefully assess
- Managers carefully assess customer feedback before changing the menu.
Synonyms and how they differ
- evaluate
- Evaluate is close but often suggests measuring against clear standards or criteria.
- appraise
- Appraise is common for judging value, especially property, art, or performance.
- gauge
- Gauge suggests estimating amount, level, or reaction rather than giving a full judgment.
- judge
- Judge is broader and can be based on opinion, while assess implies organized examination.
Opposites
Word family
- assessment noun
- The process or result of judging quality, risk, or value.
- assessor noun
- A person who assesses property, tax, skills, or performance.
Commonly confused: assess or access?
assess vs access
Assess means judge or estimate; access means entry, permission, or the way to reach something.
Practice
Choose the best completion: Before lending the car, we need to ___ the risk carefully.
Choose one answer.
Assess the risk means judge how serious the risk is. Access means reach or permission, assume means suppose without proof, and absorb means take in, so none fit the object risk here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “assess”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.