presumably
Americanadverb
adverb
Etymology
Origin of presumably
First recorded in 1640–50; presumable + -ly
Explanation
Presumably you are reading these word blurbs because you're interested in learning some useful words. You can add presumably to any statement that you think is true — it indicates a logical conclusion for which you don't have definite proof. When you add presumably to whatever you're saying, you're giving notice that you think what you're saying is true but telling your listener not to ask for the evidence. You might watch beer commercials and say to yourself, "Presumably advertisers think people will find this commercial amusing and want to run out and buy tubs of this beer." The adverb presumably is related to the nouns presumption and assumption, which are also notions you accept without proof.
Vocabulary lists containing presumably
Holes
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Copper Sun
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Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me
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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.
You said you were looking forward to spending more alone time with her, presumably to forge a deeper bond.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
According to the logline, this discovery kicks off an “adventure of a lifetime” — and I’m curious what that might mean for people whose careers presumably involve carefully sifting through old dirt all day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Something more is required than “the psychological consequence presumably produced by observation of conduct with which one disagrees.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
It was "presumably filled with technical surveillance equipment", he said, and used by "people who are not well-disposed toward Germany".
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
How on earth could prehistoric people of Borneo, presumably voyaging in boats without maps or compasses, end up in Madagascar?
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
