assume
Americanverb (used with object)
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assumes,
present (3rd person singular)
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assumed,
past participle, past
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assuming
present participle
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to take for granted or without proof.
to assume that everyone wants peace.
- Synonyms:
- posit, postulate, presuppose, suppose
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to take upon oneself; undertake.
to assume an obligation.
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to take over the duties or responsibilities of.
to assume the office of treasurer.
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to take on (a particular character, quality, mode of life, etc.); adopt.
He assumed the style of an aggressive go-getter.
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to take on; be invested or endowed with.
The situation assumed a threatening character.
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to pretend to have or be; feign.
to assume a humble manner.
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to appropriate or arrogate; seize; usurp.
to assume a right to oneself; to assume control.
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to take upon oneself (the debts or obligations of another).
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Archaic. to take into relation or association; adopt.
verb (used without object)
-
assumes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
assumed,
past participle, past
-
assuming
present participle
verb
-
(may take a clause as object) to take for granted; accept without proof; suppose
to assume that someone is sane
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to take upon oneself; undertake or take on or over (a position, responsibility, etc)
to assume office
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to pretend to; feign
he assumed indifference, although the news affected him deeply
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to take or put on; adopt
the problem assumed gigantic proportions
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to appropriate or usurp (power, control, etc); arrogate
the revolutionaries assumed control of the city
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Christianity (of God) to take up (the soul of a believer) into heaven
Usage
What's the difference between assume and presume? Assume and presume 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. Assume and presume also have a few meanings that don’t overlap. Assume can mean to take on, adopt, or be endowed with something, as in I don’t want to assume any new responsibilities. Presume can mean to undertake or do something without permission or justification, as in I don’t presume to speak for the entire class. Here are examples of assume and presume used correctly in a sentence. Example: I assumed you knew what you were doing when you volunteered to bake the cake, but apparently I shouldn’t have. Example: I presumed, based on your resume, that you knew how to work with this software. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between assume and presume.
Synonym Usage
See pretend.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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assumernoun
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overassumeverb (used with object)
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preassumeverb (used with object)
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reassumeverb (used with object)
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assumableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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assumesimple
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assumessimple
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have assumedperfect
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has assumedperfect
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am assumingprogressive
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are assumingprogressive
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is assumingprogressive
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have been assumingperfect progressive
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has been assumingperfect progressive
Past
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assumedsimple
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had assumedperfect
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was assumingprogressive
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were assumingprogressive
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had been assumingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of assume
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English (from Anglo-French assumer ), from Latin assūmere “to take to, adopt,” equivalent to as- “toward” + sūmere “to take up”; see as-, consume
Explanation
Assume isn't only used to mean "accept as truth without checking"; it also means "take on the form of." It might be safer if you don't assume that the vampire standing in front of you isn't merely a person assuming that form. Assume always has the sense of taking on something. It may be the belief in the appearance of truth: Your mother probably assumes you do your homework right after school. It may be another form or identity: Superman assumes the identity of a city reporter. Or, it might be a physical space: If you get nervous while driving, your dad might assume control of the car.
Vocabulary lists containing assume
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 1-10
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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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:
Second, people assume that rate hikes are automatically bad for stocks and rate cuts are automatically good.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
We can safely assume that the Colombian superstar selected the cuts herself — the perfect tropicoqueta mix to set up the mood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Here’s what she’s learned: When technology doesn’t graduate beyond the demo stage, the problem is often that inventors and engineers are so enamored with their own creation that they assume it will find a home.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
"We assume it's some form of hydrated rock from the moons as well, but there's still a lot of mystery."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
Although Seven was technically the Town Uncle, she needed a lot of training before she could assume her duties and be the intermediary for animal affairs and complaints.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
“I’m a regular person, like you,” Hal says, gazing directly through the fourth wall at the tiny people he assumes are worshipping him from afar.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
The bank assumes ENC will reach full production by 1Q 2027.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Morgan Stanley assumes roughly A$1.8 billion in growth capital expenditure will be needed for the project.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
The company’ aggressive sales-growth goal assumes it will continue to make acquisitions.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
He assumes she’s feeling the same way, and one day speaks his heart to her.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
For decades, scientists generally assumed that fossilization destroyed the original organic molecules once present in bones, teeth, and other tissues.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
Her fans, some “who knew something was terribly wrong but assumed she had cancer or some other disease,” were aghast at her appearance whenever she took the stage.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
Jefferson said he thought they had won "a few pounds" after he received notifications telling him to check his lottery account, but assumed the subsequent follow-up calls and emails were from sales people.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
“I assumed it was part of the audition process,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
For instance, it assumed a normal, bell-shaped distribution for future stock prices.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
But it offers a warning against assuming that a small fee will have a small effect.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
"The results at some were literally off the scale and will have a big impact in professional circles, assuming they cannot continue to try to ignore them now," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Living in a free society requires us to begin by assuming that parents act in their children’s best interests.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Heirs receive assets after valid claims are resolved, assuming that probate assets actually exist.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
I’m embarrassed—no, angry at myself—for not approaching them earlier, wrongly assuming they might be unwilling to stand up to the Director.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
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.
