2. A way of getting to something or someone, admittance; entrance: The thief gained access to the vault.
The hallway offers good access to the bedroom.
2. To judge, evaluate, appraise, determine: General Jones will assess the situation and call for reinforcements if needed.
2. Superabundance, surplus, overabundance, too much, oversupply: The teacher thought little Bobby had an excess of energy.
There is an excess of poverty, hunger, and suffering in the world.
Some people always confuse access and excess. Access is a way of getting to something or someone; excess is a surplus, a state of overabundance: "How could the thief have gained access to the vault?" "Dieting will take off your excess weight."
Excess is what some people always enjoy drinking to.
Darryl and Ted wanted to assess the situation and decide what they were going to do next because since there was no access to the compartment, they couldn't pump out the excess water.
2. To estimate or determine the significance, importance, or value of; to evaluate; levy a charge on, tax: The club assessed each member $100 to rebuild the new clubhouse.
3. To judge, evaluate, appraise, look over: The general assessed the military situation and called for reinforcements.
4. To calculate a value based on various factors: Harry said the insurance adjusters already assessed the damage done to his house by the storm.
5. To fix or determine the amount of (damages, a tax, a fine, etc.): The hurricane damage was assessed at billions of dollars.
6. To estimate or to judge the value, character, etc., of; to evaluate: Mark tried to assess what it would cost to improve the condition of his yard after the heavy rain.
The military officers were assessing the battle reports so they could decide what to do next.
7. Etymology: "to fix the amount" (of a tax, fine, etc.), from Anglo-French assesser, from Middle Latin assessare "to fix a tax upon", originally from Latin assidere, "to sit beside"; from ad-, "to" + sedere, "to sit".There are no continental-scale monitoring programs for assessing wildlife fatalities at wind turbines, so the number of bats killed across the entire United States is difficult to assess.