What does "ass" mean?
Any of several species of horse-like animals, especially Equus asinus, the domesticated of which are used as beasts of burden.
Ass
/æs/ adj, noun, particle, slang
adj, noun, particle, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any of several species of horse-like animals, especially Equus asinus, the domesticated of which are used as beasts of burden.
- Grammar: ass is listed as adj, noun, particle, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: buttocks, posterior, rear, rump.
- Useful contrasts: front, genius, horse.
- Usage evidence: If you mate a horse with an ass you will get a mule.
How to use "ass"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "ass" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "ass" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "ass" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "ass" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "ass" is acting as adj, noun, particle, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "buttocks" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "ass", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of several species of horse-like animals, especially Equus asinus, the domesticated of which are used as beasts of burden.
"And Iesse tooke an asse laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by Dauid his sonne vnto Saul."
- 2 The buttocks. US, countable, slang, uncountable, vulgar
- 3 Initialism of argininosuccinate synthase. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 4 slang for sexual intercourse wordnet
- 5 A stupid or jerky (inconsiderate, etc) person.
"Near-synonyms: fool, idiot, jerk, asswipe; see also Thesaurus:jerk"
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 The anus. US, countable, slang, uncountable, vulgar
"Train compartment: two sick young junkies on their way to Lexington tear their pants down in convulsions of lust. One of them soaps his cock and works it up the other's ass with a corkscrew motion."
- 7 Initialism of antisynthetase syndrome. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 8 hardy and sure-footed animal smaller and with longer ears than the horse wordnet
- 9 A compositor. obsolete, slang
"Sometimes by way of joke, and sometimes by way of irritation, compositors are called Asses by the pressmen."
- 10 Sex; a person to have sex with; with vulgar emphasis on their corporeality (their body) over their personhood. US, slang, uncountable, vulgar
"I'm going to go down to the bar and try to get me some ass."
- 11 the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on wordnet
- 12 Used in similes to express something bad or unpleasant. US, slang, uncountable, vulgar
"I feel like ass today."
- 13 a pompous fool wordnet
- 14 A person; the self; (reflexively) oneself or one's person, chiefly their body. By extension, one's personal safety, or figuratively one's job, prospects, etc. US, countable, slang, vulgar
"Get your lazy ass out of bed!"
Adjective
- 1 Of low quality; bad. Canada, US, not-comparable, slang, vulgar
"On a recent episode of "The Justin Dunning Podcast," Starkel shared his thoughts on Martell, a former Ohio State quarterback, saying "he's ass my dude" in reference to Starkel."
Particle
- 1 Synonym of -ass (used to intensify an adjective). US, slang, vulgar
"That was one big ass fish!"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"If you mate a horse with an ass you will get a mule."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "ass"?
Common synonyms include: buttocks, posterior, rear, rump, -like, -ly.
How do you use "ass" in a sentence?
If you mate a horse with an ass you will get a mule.
How do you pronounce "ass"?
Pronounced /æs/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English asse, from Old English assa, back-formed from assen (“she-ass”), from Celtic (compare Old Irish asan, Old Cornish asen), from Latin asinus. Displaced Old English esol, from Proto-West Germanic *asil, also a loanword from the same Latin word. Sense “stupid person” from the animal's reputation for stubbornness, going back to antiquity (compare Latin asinus (“slow-witted person”)).
Etymology 2
Variant of arse; used chiefly in North America. Ultimately from Middle English ars, ers, from Old English ærs, ears, from Proto-West Germanic *ars, from Proto-Germanic *arsaz (compare Old High German ars (German Arsch), Old Norse ars, Old Frisian ers), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁órsos (compare Ancient Greek ὄρρος (órrhos)). Etymological notes Contrary to the widespread belief of this being a euphemism, it arose as a pronunciation spelling (of the older form arse still used in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, etc.) that shows the assimilation of /ɹ/ before coronal consonants (especially /s/), a phenomenon that has been present in nonstandard speech from the Middle English period onwards; this is distinct from the later phenomenon of non-rhoticity as /ɹ/ was lost before it could modify the preceding vowel. Other instances of this phenomenon (some of which retained both spellings with different meanings) include cuss from curse, gash from garsh, bass (“fish”) from barse, bust from burst, passel from parcel; see :Category:English terms with assimilation of historic /ɹ/ for a more extensive list.