as ‧ sert /əˈsɜːt $ -ɜːrt/ BrE AmE 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.
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THESAURUS
▪ claim to say that something is true, even though it has not been proved:
He claims that he didn’t see anything.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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It is possible, as Kennedy contends, that her medical condition is caused by her work.