presume
Americanverb (used with object)
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presumes,
present (3rd person singular)
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presumed,
past participle, past
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presuming
present participle
-
to take for granted, assume, or suppose.
I presume you're tired after your drive.
- Synonyms:
- presuppose
-
Law. to assume as true in the absence of proof to the contrary.
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to undertake with unwarrantable boldness.
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to undertake (to do something) without right or permission.
to presume to speak for another.
verb (used without object)
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presumes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
presumed,
past participle, past
-
presuming
present participle
-
to take something for granted; suppose.
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to act or proceed with unwarrantable or impertinent boldness.
- Synonyms:
- overstep
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to go too far in acting unwarrantably or in taking liberties (usually followed by on orupon ).
Do not presume upon his tolerance.
verb
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(when tr, often takes a clause as object) to take (something) for granted; assume
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(when tr, often foll by an infinitive) to take upon oneself (to do something) without warrant or permission; dare
do you presume to copy my work?
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(intr; foll by on or upon) to rely or depend
don't presume on his agreement
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law to take as proved until contrary evidence is produced
Usage
What is the difference between presume and assume? Presume and assume have very similar meanings—they both mean to suppose that something is true without being able to confirm it. Assume, however, usually implies that the conclusion reached by the person doing the assuming is not based on much. Presume, on the other hand, often implies that the conclusion is based on something a bit stronger, such as some evidence or past situations in which the same thing happened. For example, you might presume that someone will be attending a meeting because they always attend and you have no reason to think they won’t be there. The word assume could also be used in this scenario, but it’s most likely to be used in situations in which there was less of a reason to have come to a certain conclusion. For example, you might assume something about someone you’ve just met based only on how they look (which is never a good idea). A good way to remember this difference in how the two words are used is that the prefix pre- in presume means “before”—when you presume things, you’re often basing that presumption on something that has happened before. As for assume, well, we’ll just assume you know a good way of remembering how it’s used. Presume and assume also have a few meanings that don’t overlap. Presume can mean to undertake or do something without permission or justification, as in I don’t presume to speak for the entire class. Assume can mean to take on, adopt, or be endowed with something, as in I don’t want to assume any new responsibilities. Here are examples of presume and assume used correctly in a sentence. Example: I presumed, based on your resume, that you knew how to work with this software. Example: I assumed you knew what you were doing when you volunteered to bake the cake, but apparently I shouldn’t have. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between presume and assume.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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presumesimple
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presumessimple
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have presumedperfect
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has presumedperfect
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am presumingprogressive
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are presumingprogressive
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is presumingprogressive
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have been presumingperfect progressive
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has been presumingperfect progressive
Past
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presumedsimple
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had presumedperfect
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was presumingprogressive
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were presumingprogressive
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had been presumingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of presume
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English presumen, from Old French presumer, from Latin praesūmere “to take beforehand” (in Late Latin: “to take for granted, assume, dare”), from prae- pre- + sūmere “to take up” ( cf. consume)
Explanation
If you presume something, it means you act as though it's true before all the evidence is in. If you are presumed to be the fastest runner, don't get too cocky — that word implies that you haven't actually raced yet. To presume is to take something for granted. The famous quote “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” comes from the explorer Henry Morton Stanley, who ran into the explorer David Livingstone in the wilds of Africa in 1871. It’s funny because these were the only two white men known to be in that part of Africa at the time.
Vocabulary lists containing presume
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The Diary of Anne Frank
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Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"People are using them proactively and on the A9 when someone sees a diversion, they automatically presume it is because something has happened," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
It essentially means that judges must presume that the government — whether it be federal prosecutors, an IRS auditor or an FBI agent — did their jobs according to the rules and in good faith.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
You are middle-aged and appear to have substantial assets in the form of real estate and, I presume, significant retirement funds.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
“On this combined firm market share alone, the Court is persuaded that it can presume the proposed merger is likely to violate antitrust laws,” the judge wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
I would not presume to tell you what to do, but I believe it is your duty to come, in case of any complications that might occur...
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
The city’s fiscal 2026-27 budget already presumes the ticket price increase will go into effect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Hopefully, it’s not as bad as that worst-case scenario presumes.
From MarketWatch ● May 25, 2026
That she presumes such ineptitude and desperation among her legions of users does not bode well.
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
Indexing presumes general market efficiency: The counterparty to an active seller is an active buyer; both are confident, well-staffed and diligent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
In the same sense that our judicial system presumes us to be innocent until proved guilty, a medical-care system may work best if it starts with the presumption that most people are healthy.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
During the process, those undergoing registration will be presumed to be living legally in Kenya.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
As the search continued for the 86 people presumed missing, coast guard, military personnel and local responders were working to tamp down the thick smoke billowing from the ferry.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
This move is reliant on the presumed authenticity of these new spaces.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
Artists are presumed to underprice their tickets because they don’t want to be seen gouging their fans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
And it was presumed that I prayed before I got into bed at night.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Some investors like to speculate about potential additions, presuming that stocks tabbed to join the index will get short-term boosts, as funds tracking the S&P 500 will be forced to take positions.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026
Greenspan, who retired just before disaster struck, acknowledged to Congress in late 2008 that he had "made a mistake" in presuming companies were best positioned to protect themselves and their shareholders without government oversight.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
Neither Pool D or Pool F's winners can meet holders and top-ranked South Africa until the final, presuming the Springboks top their own group.
From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2025
But investors are already presuming a lot of success.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2025
Usually I'd be put off by a friend of Ollie's presuming to know anything about Bas, but Willem's face is too earnest not to like.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
