presume
Americanverb (used with object)
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presumes,
present (3rd person singular)
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presumed,
past participle, past
-
presuming
present participle
-
to take for granted, assume, or suppose.
I presume you're tired after your drive.
- Synonyms:
- presuppose
-
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)
-
presumes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
presumed,
past participle, past
-
presuming
present participle
-
to take something for granted; suppose.
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to act or proceed with unwarrantable or impertinent boldness.
- Synonyms:
- overstep
-
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:
I wouldn’t presume — based on the script and seeing the first episode — I wouldn’t presume to get inside the head of that character.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
“I presume these are sophisticated investors taking a profit.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
Your cousin, I presume, has some Social Security, however modest.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
Beyond that, the question seems to presume that the team would favour Leclerc emotionally.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
“It means—” “Do not presume to tell me what it means!” the mayor cried.
From "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau
The city’s fiscal 2026-27 budget already presumes the ticket price increase will go into effect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
She’s scheduled to play doubles with her sister Venus in Cincinnati, and if that goes well, one presumes we’ll see them pair again in New York.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Hopefully, it’s not as bad as that worst-case scenario presumes.
From MarketWatch ● May 25, 2026
I was trained in that tradition—you find a way, you find a pathway, and all of that presumes the legitimacy of the framework.
From Slate ● Dec. 17, 2025
“So the aristocrat presumes to lecture us about equality,” he said.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
One of the ships, the Alfa Watan, sank and all 10 crew, including nine Syrians, are presumed dead.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
During a Thursday appearance at the Bloomberg News Screentime media conference in Hollywood, Bloys declined to discuss his presumed new role.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
As the search continued for the 86 people presumed missing, coast guard, military personnel and local responders were working to tamp down the thick smoke billowing from the ferry.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
This move is reliant on the presumed authenticity of these new spaces.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
He said, “Excuse me. I presumed; I accept what presumption has earned me.”
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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
By the end of this year, Anthropic could owe xAI as much as $10 billion, or more than xAI has generated since it was formed, presuming a May payment is included.
From MarketWatch ● May 21, 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
Neither Pool D or Pool F's winners can meet holders and top-ranked South Africa until the final, presuming the Springboks top their own group.
From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2025
When he pictured his wife having to make such plans, presuming him to be dead, his heart raged.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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