assumption
Americannoun
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something taken for granted; a supposition.
a correct assumption.
- Synonyms:
- theory, postulate, guess, conjecture, hypothesis, presupposition
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the act of taking for granted or supposing.
- Synonyms:
- presupposition, presumption
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the act of taking to or upon oneself.
- Synonyms:
- acceptance
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the act of taking possession of something.
the assumption of power.
- Synonyms:
- usurpation, appropriation, seizure
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- Synonyms:
- gall, forwardness, effrontery
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the taking over of another's debts or obligations.
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Ecclesiastical.
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(often initial capital letter) the bodily taking up into heaven of the Virgin Mary.
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(initial capital letter) a feast commemorating this, celebrated on August 15.
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Logic. the minor premise of a syllogism.
noun
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the act of taking something for granted or something that is taken for granted
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an assuming of power or possession of something
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arrogance; presumption
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logic a statement that is used as the premise of a particular argument but may not be otherwise accepted Compare axiom
noun
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the taking up of the Virgin Mary (body and soul) into heaven when her earthly life was ended
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the feast commemorating this, celebrated by Roman Catholics on Aug 15
Pop Culture
—Assumption persona: A persona is a detailed description of a fictional user (of a product, software program, etc.), based on real-world data. Software engineers and data companies create personas as user models to help build their products. In order to illustrate the utility of using data-driven personas in design, “assumption personas” (personas derived from existing assumptions about users) are used as negative examples showing how assumptions can lead to bad design choices. —Assumption of risk: the name for a defense used in tort law, where the defense argues that the plaintiff took action knowing the risks involved.
Other Word Forms
- assumptive adjective
- assumptively adverb
- misassumption noun
- nonassumption noun
- overassumption noun
- preassumption noun
- reassumption noun
- self-assumption noun
- superassumption noun
Etymology
Origin of assumption
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English assumpcioun, assompcioun, assumsion, from Latin assūmptiōn- (stem of assūmptiō ), equivalent to assūmpt(us) “taken up” (past participle of assūmere ) + -iōn- noun suffix; assume, -ion
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.
Market reaction: Treasury yields rose after the employment report on the assumption a stronger labor market could discourage the Fed from cutting interest rates.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
"My assumption is it's not intentional but it is of course unlucky."
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
But those projections rest on the assumption that the conflict in the Middle East is relatively short-lived—and the impact to the global economy is still contained.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
“The assumption that the incoming ownership group can finance an additional $600 million for Moda Center — which is now a publicly-owned community asset is not possible,” lobbying materials from the Blazers stated.
From Salon • Mar. 30, 2026
Penelope did not know for certain about the fancy shops, but given Lady Constance’s affinity for spending money, she felt it was a safe assumption.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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.
