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]
-
Required to, as in He is supposed to call home . [Mid-1800s]
-
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.
The union says it has no evidence that generative AI is being used to create performances, and the studios are supposed to notify the union if that happens.
From Los Angeles Times ● 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
"It is not a natural order. I'm not supposed to bury my son," she told the court.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The incident happened during what was supposed to be a "sandbox" test -- a closed environment used to assess the capabilities of OpenAI's most powerful model, GPT-5.6 Sol, and its not-yet-released successor.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
“By five o’clock. Guests are supposed to start arriving by five o’clock, so I am, kind of, in a hurry.”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
