ass

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈas 

1

: any of several hardy gregarious (see gregarious sense 1a) African or Asian perissodactyl mammals (genus Equus) smaller than the horse and having long ears

especially : an African mammal (E. asinus) that is the ancestor of the donkey

2

informal + impolite : a stupid, stubborn, or detestable person

a pompous ass

made an ass of himself

He was an ass to her, dissing her script (which he apparently lost), telling her women couldn't be artists and that she looked so much prettier with makeup on.

—Lauren Piester

—often compounded with a preceding adjective

Don't be a smart-ass.

ass

2 of 3

noun (2)

ˈas 

variants or arse

ˈas,

ˈärs 

1

a

informal + impolite : buttocks

—often used in emphatic reference to a specific person

Get your ass over here.

saved my ass

b

informal + impolite : anus

2

offensive : sexual intercourse

ass

3 of 3

adverb

informal + impolite

—used as a postpositive intensive especially with words of derogatory implication

fancy-ass

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• burro
• donkey
• jackass
• moke [British slang]

Examples of ass in a Sentence

Noun (1)

the farm kept a few asses for hauling hay in and out of the field

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Most of us have been pushed and landed on our ass, instead of our feet, at one point or another. —Chloe Berger, Fortune, 22 May 2024

There’s people who work with me now maybe listening to this like laughing their asses off. —Michael Schneider, Variety, 21 May 2024

Both of them are outstanding people and coaches, and both of them professionally have had their ass kicked, professionally, and have lived to tell about it. —Clarence E. Hill Jr., Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 May 2024

The iconoclastic rocker and his longtime collaborators Crazy Horse — which still includes co-founders Ralph Molina and Billy Talbot — take the stage with nothing but bare-knuckled rock n’ roll (not to mention some of the greatest songs ever written) to knock the crowd on its ass. —Joe Lynch, Billboard, 15 May 2024

Genuine, kind, approachable, and just an all around stellar human being – Not to mention a kick ass director to boot! —Michelle Deal-Zimmerman, Baltimore Sun, 22 Apr. 2024

There’s something about this wonderment, watching something for the first time and getting caught up in it and binge-watching it, that got Leon diving even deeper and trying to figure out how Jerry got all this ass all the time. —Ben Rosenstock, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024

My dog started barking and running down the hallway, like, mom, the earth is shaking, get your ass up and run with me. —Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024

In one instance during the demo, cast member Charlie—a girl-next-door type who is more chaste than a few of the others—specifically requests that the player cut down on any shots of the cast’s ass. —Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 4 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English assa, probably from Old Irish asan, from Latin asinus

Noun (2) and Adverb

Middle English ars, ers, from Old English ærs, ears; akin to Old High German & Old Norse ars buttocks, Greek orrhos buttocks, oura tail

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

circa 1920, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

ass

noun

ˈas

1

: any of several mammals resembling but smaller than the related horses and having a shorter mane, shorter hair on the tail, and longer ears

especially : donkey

2

informal : a stupid or stubborn person