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. africanus) 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 adjectiveLauren PiesterDon't be a smart-ass.
1
2
offensive
: sexual intercourse
informal + impolite
—used as a postpositive intensive especially with words of derogatory implication
fancy-ass
Synonyms
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 WebBen Travers, IndieWire, 26 Sep. 2024
Here's my thing: The Pace Breaker Short has this little line on the side of it that enhances every person’s ass.
—Grace McCarty, SELF, 24 Sep. 2024
There was no way anyone was gonna send my ass home.
—Danny Horn, EW.com, 22 Sep. 2024
On normal mode, Rising is a breezy experience, almost lulling users into complacency until the hacking sequences kick them in the ass.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ass 
Noun
Just look at the section that starts with Elrond (Robert Aramayo) telling Adar (Sam Hazeldine) to take his trade offer and shove it up his ass.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 26 Sep. 2024
Here's my thing: The Pace Breaker Short has this little line on the side of it that enhances every person’s ass.
—Grace McCarty, SELF, 24 Sep. 2024
There was no way anyone was gonna send my ass home.
—Danny Horn, EW.com, 22 Sep. 2024
On normal mode, Rising is a breezy experience, almost lulling users into complacency until the hacking sequences kick them in the ass.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ass
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ass.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ass
Cite this Entry
“Ass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ass. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
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