assistant

assistant as‧sis‧tant [əˈsɪstnt] noun [countable] JOBS

1. also shop assistant or sales assistant someone who sells things in a shop; = sales clerk AmE:

• a shop assistant in the men's department of a large store

2. someone whose job is to help someone else of higher rank do their job:

• manager Jean Cundy and her assistant Cherrie Elliott

assistant to

• an assistant to a stud-farm manager

• I spoke to the assistant director.

• IBM's assistant general manager

adˌministrative asˈsistant JOBS

someone whose job is to help make an organization or department run smoothly by helping other staff to organize their work:

• staff carrying out routine clerical duties under the Administrative Assistant's direction

ˌclerical asˈsistant JOBS

someone who works in an office helping other people by doing jobs such as putting documents away in their correct place and typing information onto computer:

• clerical assistants and office support staff

exˌecutive asˈsistant JOBS

someone whose job is to help an important manager do his or her job:

• her appointment as executive assistant to the managing director

ˌpersonal asˈsistant abbreviation PA JOBS

1. a secretary who works for one person, organizing their work, meetings etc:

• I phoned his personal assistant to arrange an interview.

2. someone whose job is to help an employee of a higher rank by doing some of their work for them

3. someone who works in a bank, office etc but who is not a manager:

• Bank assistants cannot afford to live on their current basic salary.

* * *

Ⅰ.

assistant UK US /əˈsɪst^ənt/ noun [C]

► HR, WORKPLACE an employee who helps someone in a more senior position to do their job: assistant to sb »

assistant to the director of the Institute of Science

► UK (US sales clerk) COMMERCE someone who serves customers in a store: »

She worked as an assistant in a local bookshop.

→ See also ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT(Cf. ↑administrative assistant), BANK ASSISTANT(Cf. ↑bank assistant), CLERICAL ASSISTANT(Cf. ↑clerical assistant), EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT(Cf. ↑executive assistant), PERSONAL ASSISTANT(Cf. ↑personal assistant), PDA(Cf. ↑PDA)

Ⅱ.

assistant UK US /əˈsɪst^ənt/ adjective [before noun] (WRITTEN ABBREVIATION Asst, or asst)

► HR, WORKPLACE used as part of someone's job title to show that their job is below the level of a more senior person, and that they help that person to do their job: assistant director/manager, etc. »

She had previously served as assistant vice-president for finance at MIT.