presume

[ pri-zoom ]
See synonyms for presume on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),pre·sumed, pre·sum·ing.
  1. to take for granted, assume, or suppose: I presume you're tired after your drive.

  2. Law. to assume as true in the absence of proof to the contrary.

  1. to undertake with unwarrantable boldness.

  2. to undertake (to do something) without right or permission: to presume to speak for another.

verb (used without object),pre·sumed, pre·sum·ing.
  1. to take something for granted; suppose.

  2. to act or proceed with unwarrantable or impertinent boldness.

  1. to go too far in acting unwarrantably or in taking liberties (usually followed by on or upon): Do not presume upon his tolerance.

Origin of presume

1
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)

Other words for presume

Other words from presume

  • pre·sum·ed·ly [pri-zoo-mid-lee], /prɪˈzu mɪd li/, adverb
  • pre·sum·er, noun
  • un·pre·sumed, adjective

Words Nearby presume

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use presume in a sentence

  • I presume the twenty-five or thirty miles at this end is unhealthy, even for natives, but it surely need not be so.

    Glances at Europe | Horace Greeley
  • I presume this path does not extend many miles without meeting impediments.

    Glances at Europe | Horace Greeley
  • I presume there will be more middling and half middling yields within twenty miles of Paris than in all Belgium.

    Glances at Europe | Horace Greeley
  • That Lannes would have emerged superior to these trials his previous career affords strong reason to presume.

    Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
  • I presume you know that Maria Theresa was a first-rate soldier; or, at least, she had the happy art of finding them.

British Dictionary definitions for presume

presume

/ (prɪˈzjuːm) /


verb
  1. (when tr, often takes a clause as object) to take (something) for granted; assume

  2. (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?

  1. (intr; foll by on or upon) to rely or depend: don't presume on his agreement

  2. law to take as proved until contrary evidence is produced

Origin of presume

1
C14: via Old French from Latin praesūmere to take in advance, from prae before + sūmere to assume

Derived forms of presume

  • presumedly (prɪˈzjuːmɪdlɪ), adverb
  • presumer, noun
  • presuming, adjective
  • presumingly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012