presume
Americanverb (used with object)
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to take for granted, assume, or suppose.
I presume you're tired after your drive.
- Synonyms:
- presuppose
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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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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:
We noted recently that our 21-day cumulative volume measure had turned up enough to presume temporary strength.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
Under the current law, judges must presume mental illness was a factor if a defendant with a legitimate diagnosis seeks diversion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
"If we presume no young men or boys want to read, and we don't give them access to books, then they won't read."
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
But for unions that fall below it, the standard is simple: Win majority support from the people you claim to represent or don’t presume to represent them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
Here are Mr. and Mrs. Roodveldt, I presume, cradling a baby in a white dress, behind a table with a cake on it.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
It presumes states already have adequate initial-attack capacity of their own.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
One presumes he’s smart enough not to take anything for granted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 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
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
The discovery could offer fresh hope for the families of passengers of other planes that are presumed to have crashed in the ocean, such as Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
A third U.S. service member in Jordan is missing and presumed dead, and a fourth was killed during the detonation of a downed Iranian drone in Iraq on Saturday.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
He declined to say who was the presumed target of the blast, but several sources have said it was Ukrainian-born businessman Vadym Yermolaiev, who is a permanent resident of Monaco and has acquired Cypriot nationality.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
Many of the items, because of their ties to Jewish athletes and teams, were hidden during the war and presumed lost.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
It violated the core of virtue and disinterestedness presumed essential for anyone properly equipped to oversee public affairs.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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
That’s presuming the U.S. team — a 60-1 longshot — does the improbable and wins the final.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
Videos captured people murmuring confusedly, presuming technical difficulties, before the truth dawned on the crowd that pyrotechnics would not be forthcoming.
From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2026
Rasmussen said he left the meeting with Vance and Rubio presuming the Trump administration understood the island wouldn’t become part of the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026
When he pictured his wife having to make such plans, presuming him to be dead, his heart raged.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
