Synonyms

assume

American

[uh-soom] / əˈsum /

verb (used with object)

to take for granted or without proof.

to assume that everyone wants peace.

Synonyms:

posit, postulate, presuppose, suppose
to take upon oneself; undertake.

to assume an obligation.
to take over the duties or responsibilities of.

to assume the office of treasurer.
to take on (a particular character, quality, mode of life, etc.); adopt.

He assumed the style of an aggressive go-getter.
to take on; be invested or endowed with.

The situation assumed a threatening character.
to pretend to have or be; feign.

to assume a humble manner.
to appropriate or arrogate; seize; usurp.

to assume a right to oneself; to assume control.
to take upon oneself (the debts or obligations of another).
Archaic. to take into relation or association; adopt.

verb (used without object)

to take something for granted; presume.

assume British

/ əˈsjuːm /

verb

(may take a clause as object) to take for granted; accept without proof; suppose

to assume that someone is sane
to take upon oneself; undertake or take on or over (a position, responsibility, etc)

to assume office
to pretend to; feign

he assumed indifference, although the news affected him deeply
to take or put on; adopt

the problem assumed gigantic proportions
to appropriate or usurp (power, control, etc); arrogate

the revolutionaries assumed control of the city
Christianity (of God) to take up (the soul of a believer) into heaven

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What's the difference between assume and presume? Assume and presume 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. Assume and presume also have a few meanings that don’t overlap. Assume can mean to take on, adopt, or be endowed with something, as in I don’t want to assume any new responsibilities. Presume can mean to undertake or do something without permission or justification, as in I don’t presume to speak for the entire class. Here are examples of assume and presume used correctly in a sentence. Example: I assumed you knew what you were doing when you volunteered to bake the cake, but apparently I shouldn’t have. Example: I presumed, based on your resume, that you knew how to work with this software. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between assume and presume.

Synonym Usage

See pretend.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of assume

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English (from Anglo-French assumer ), from Latin assūmere “to take to, adopt,” equivalent to as- “toward” + sūmere “to take up”; see as-, consume

Explanation

Assume isn't only used to mean "accept as truth without checking"; it also means "take on the form of." It might be safer if you don't assume that the vampire standing in front of you isn't merely a person assuming that form. Assume always has the sense of taking on something. It may be the belief in the appearance of truth: Your mother probably assumes you do your homework right after school. It may be another form or identity: Superman assumes the identity of a city reporter. Or, it might be a physical space: If you get nervous while driving, your dad might assume control of the car.

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Vocabulary lists containing assume

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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:

assume assumes assumed assuming

"There is no reason to assume Britain would be an exception," he added.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

Usually, when investors see CDS spreads widen, they assume the market is pricing in more credit risk.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026

"Seeing the condition of the recently burned lands... we didn't dare to gamble and assume he'll survive."

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

“Well, Martha, I assume you went to good public schools.”

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026

Nowadays, many people assume that most of the fighting between the American government and American Indians took place on the Great Plains and in the Southwest in the late nineteenth century.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

“Given that UNH’s guidance assumes an acceleration in medical-cost trends, we believe there is more upside potential to earnings than downside risk,” Mizuho Securities analyst Ann Hynes told investors on Monday.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

The model assumes that the bird needs the current climate set-up that exists in alpine meadows in the future too, a reasonable but not certain assumption.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

He assumes that, these days, the public goes to see movies or plays, watches television, or reads books either to avoid this dismal reality or absolve themselves from it.

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026

McKinney acknowledged his approach assumes the city and county can increase available shelter space, but hopes to use his office to pressure local officials into expanding available services.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Making anything assumes there’s a world worth making it for.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

Because stars and their surrounding disks originate from the same cloud of material, scientists have long assumed that they contain similar proportions of rock-forming elements.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

Fears that SpaceX could undercut wireless rates and squeeze launch capacity led Potter to trim his assumed monthly price for AST SpaceMobile’s service to $12 from $15.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

Those physical restraints soon assumed another meaning: obligation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

For years, people with the condition were assumed to have profound learning disabilities but Romi, who uses special eye-gaze technology to communicate, is hoping to challenge that belief.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

I assumed she helped us so that she could get on TV, but hearing that, I wonder if Cora Phillips might actually care about this.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

George W. Bush spent as much time as possible at the West Texas ranch he bought just before assuming the presidency.

From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026

Doubling exabyte production would take two years, Sankar said, pointing to the 12-month cycle time for wafers and assuming another 12 months that would be needed to build out production and install manufacturing equipment.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

It failed us all by assuming that what she deserved was fixed by what she did as an 18-year-old.

From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026

A deal could be completed in the coming weeks, assuming talks don’t fall apart.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

Grabarek had come into office preaching racial tolerance, making a historic journey into the heart of the black community the night after assuming office.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023