supposed to
Idioms-
Intended to; also, believed to, expected to. For example, This pill is supposed to relieve your pain , or You're supposed to be my partner . [Early 1300s]
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Required to, as in He is supposed to call home . [Mid-1800s]
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not supposed to . Not permitted to, as in You're not supposed to smoke in here .
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.
This was supposed to be Joshua's comeback week.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
"There are fields we are supposed to be cutting, but there are just not enough people. Local people don't like this job because it is back‑breaking and physical," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Listen, I don’t know anyone who liked Holden Caulfield the first time they read the book, probably because he is not supposed to be particularly likable; Salinger wrote the book for adults, not teens.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
Khan was supposed to travel to Israel and Gaza later in the month on a fact-finding mission that he said was crucial to make his decision on warrants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
She was supposed to nod and agree with me.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
