assert
[verb]
Synonyms:
- state, affirm, declare, maintain, profess, pronounce, swear
- insist upon, claim, defend, press, put forward, stand up for, stress, uphold
- assert oneself: be forceful, exert one's influence, make one's presence felt, put oneself forward, put one's foot down (informal)

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Antonyms: deny, controvert
Contrasted words: contradict, contravene, dispute, gainsay, negate, negative, traverse, confute, disprove, rebut, refute
Related Idioms: have it
Related Words: adduce, advance, allege, cite, claim, pretend, announce, broadcast, disseminate, proclaim, promulgate, publish, spread, declare, express, utter, voice, state, stipulate, submit

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English Thesaurus: claim, allege, maintain, insist, assert, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

as‧sert /əˈsɜːt $ -ɜːrt/ verb [transitive]
[Date: 1600-1700; Language: Latin; Origin: past participle of asserere, from ad- 'to' + serere 'to join']

1. to state firmly that something is true:
French cooking, she asserted, is the best in the world.
assert that
He asserted that nuclear power was a safe and non-polluting energy source.

2. assert your rights/independence/superiority etc to state very strongly your right to something:
Native Americans asserting their rights to ancestral land

3. assert yourself to behave in a determined way and say clearly what you think:
Women began to assert themselves politically.

4. assert itself if an idea or belief asserts itself, it begins to influence something:
National pride began to assert itself.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

assert
verb
I. say sth clearly and firmly
ADV. boldly, confidently, emphatically, forcefully, strongly The report asserts confidently that the industry will grow.
directly, explicitly | simply He had no real evidence?he simply asserted that what he said was true.
repeatedly | rightly

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

assert
II. make other people recognize your rights/authority
ADV. successfully They successfully asserted their right to protect their homes.
VERB + ASSERT need to | be determined to, wish to She wished to assert her independence from her parents.
seek to, try to | be able to, manage to He managed to assert his power over the media.
be unable to, fail to

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

claim to say that something is true, even though it has not been proved:
He claims that he didn’t see anything.
She claims to be a descendant of Charles Dickens.
allege to claim that someone did something wrong or illegal, although you do not give any proof:
It is alleged that he murdered his wife.
Patients allege that the two firms failed to warn doctors about the dangers of taking the drugs over a long period.
maintain to repeatedly say that something is true, especially when other people do not believe you:
He continued to maintain his innocence, even after he was sent to prison.
My mother always maintains that I learned to talk at six months.
insist to say very firmly that something is true:
She insists that Tom was there, although he denies it.
Turkey insists that there is more than enough water in the two rivers for all three countries.
assert formal to state that something is true – used especially in formal writing when reporting someone’s opinion:
They assert that children work better on their own.
The Environment Minister asserted that one third of the country’s cities had major pollution problems.
contend formal to claim that something is true, especially when other people disagree with you:
Lawyers contend that his back problems were due to an existing injury, not the accident.
It is possible, as Kennedy contends, that her medical condition is caused by her work.
false
His claims were later found to be false.
unfounded/unsubstantiated (=not based on truth or evidence)
These claims of discrimination are completely unfounded.
extravagant claims (=clearly not true)
Some manufacturers make extravagant claims for their products.
competing claims
the competing claims of the political parties
conflicting claims (=saying that different things are true)
The reports contained conflicting claims of the number of people killed.
make a claim
He made extravagant claims about the benefits of the diet.
deny a claim (=say it is not true)
Government officials denied claims that the country possessed chemical weapons.
dispute/reject a claim (=say it is not true)
The Prime Minister rejected claims of a disagreement within his party.
support a claim
The court found no evidence to support her claim.
back up a claim (=support it)
They challenged him to back up his claims with evidence.
accept a claim
Many scientists were reluctant to accept his claims.
challenge a claim (=say that you do not believe it is true)
Washington continued to challenge the claim that global warming is partly caused by carbon dioxide.
investigate a claim
Detectives are investigating claims that the two officials took bribes.
allegation a statement that someone has done something wrong or illegal, but that has not been proved:
He has strongly denied the allegations of sexual harassment.
assertion formal something that you say or write that you strongly believe:
the assertion that house prices are falling
contention formal a strong opinion that someone expresses:
Her main contention is that doctors should do more to encourage healthy eating.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲