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
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
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2025
In theaters now showtimes The Studio Seth Rogen — who co-created this series alongside longtime collaborator Evan Goldberg, Frida Perez, and former Veep writers Peter Huyck and Alex Gregory — plays the head of a movie studio who finds new ways to make an ass of himself in every episode.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 29 Mar. 2025
Like, really sit on it, really get that ass indentation.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2025
My design references were Yugoslavia and computer magazines in the ’90s where there’s, like, a girl with her ass out on top of a giant computer monitor.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ass
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Noun
Will miss u, U Were Funny, crazy, pain in the ass, GREAT FRIEND, kids💜U. BRILLIANT as Mark Twain.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2025
In theaters now showtimes The Studio Seth Rogen — who co-created this series alongside longtime collaborator Evan Goldberg, Frida Perez, and former Veep writers Peter Huyck and Alex Gregory — plays the head of a movie studio who finds new ways to make an ass of himself in every episode.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 29 Mar. 2025
Like, really sit on it, really get that ass indentation.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2025
My design references were Yugoslavia and computer magazines in the ’90s where there’s, like, a girl with her ass out on top of a giant computer monitor.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ass
Cite this Entry
“Ass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ass. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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