Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
The assignment operator is used to assign a value to a variable. It is represented by the equals sign (=) and it assigns the value on the right side of the equals sign to the variable on the left side.
Related terms
Arithmetic operators: These are operators used for mathematical calculations such as addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), and division (/).
Comparison operators: These are operators used to compare two values or variables, such as greater than (>), less than (<), equal to (==), not equal to (!=).
Compound assignment operators: These are shorthand versions of assignment operators combined with other arithmetic or bitwise operations, such as +=, -=, *=, /=.