assume
Americanverb (used with object)
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assumes,
present (3rd person singular)
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assumed,
past participle, past
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assuming
present participle
-
to take for granted or without proof.
to assume that everyone wants peace.
- Synonyms:
- posit, postulate, presuppose, suppose
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to take upon oneself; undertake.
to assume an obligation.
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to take over the duties or responsibilities of.
to assume the office of treasurer.
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to take on (a particular character, quality, mode of life, etc.); adopt.
He assumed the style of an aggressive go-getter.
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to take on; be invested or endowed with.
The situation assumed a threatening character.
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to pretend to have or be; feign.
to assume a humble manner.
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to appropriate or arrogate; seize; usurp.
to assume a right to oneself; to assume control.
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to take upon oneself (the debts or obligations of another).
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Archaic. to take into relation or association; adopt.
verb (used without object)
-
assumes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
assumed,
past participle, past
-
assuming
present participle
verb
-
(may take a clause as object) to take for granted; accept without proof; suppose
to assume that someone is sane
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to take upon oneself; undertake or take on or over (a position, responsibility, etc)
to assume office
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to pretend to; feign
he assumed indifference, although the news affected him deeply
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to take or put on; adopt
the problem assumed gigantic proportions
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to appropriate or usurp (power, control, etc); arrogate
the revolutionaries assumed control of the city
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Christianity (of God) to take up (the soul of a believer) into heaven
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
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assumernoun
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overassumeverb (used with object)
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preassumeverb (used with object)
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reassumeverb (used with object)
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assumableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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assumesimple
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assumessimple
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have assumedperfect
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has assumedperfect
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am assumingprogressive
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are assumingprogressive
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is assumingprogressive
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have been assumingperfect progressive
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has been assumingperfect progressive
Past
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assumedsimple
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had assumedperfect
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was assumingprogressive
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were assumingprogressive
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had been assumingperfect progressive
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.
Vocabulary lists containing assume
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 1-10
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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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:
“We therefore assume macro-policy hedge demand for gold – reflected in call-option demand – normalizes toward its historical average rather than returning to the elevated levels seen earlier this year,” they wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
Banking lobbyists eagerly ask if Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who led the committee during the Biden administration before losing his seat and was elected again this week, could try to assume the role again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
When my mum became pregnant with me, it was safe to assume that a home would soon become available - and within about a year, one did.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
“That’s when you’re most powerful: when you assume office with an agenda, so hopefully he’ll detail that within days of being elected.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Neither the Revolution nor the infant republic could have succeeded without the support of the southern states, so Adams had deferred to the Virginians to assume leadership of the antislavery movement.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
“Micron being ‘cheap’ assumes that the E in the P/E is right,” Kaplan said.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
At the film’s heart is a terribly relatable family conflict in which each character assumes that they know best.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
The bank now assumes an announcement will be made next month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Unlike an approach that assumes the acceleration began in a particular year, this method allows the data to determine the most likely timing of the shift.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
She imagines where that first job might take her, assumes it will be in some far-flung town in the middle of nowhere.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Louisiana and Mississippi offered two incredibly close Senate races in states long assumed to be GOP strongholds.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
The state has had one Latino governor, Romualdo Pacheco, who assumed office in 1875 when Gov. Newton Booth stepped down after winning a U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Children who read easily have frequently been assumed to be more intelligent, while those who struggle have sometimes been viewed as less capable.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
He had thought that was good news as he assumed the firm must have had offers on the table.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
For instance, it assumed a normal, bell-shaped distribution for future stock prices.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
UOB raises its 2026 growth forecast to 5.4% from 5.2%, assuming growth moderates to 5.2% in 4Q, but keeps its 2027 forecast unchanged at 5.3%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
The $210,000 for the custom vehicle represents just over eight months of expected investment returns, assuming a 7% average return over the following year.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
Research from consultancy PwC found that some graduate roles are assuming more responsibilities because of AI, as it allows companies to demand more senior abilities from junior hires.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
ExxonMobil agreed to take over as operator in September, assuming responsibility from France-based energy major TotalEnergies, which retains a significant stake.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
On the bright side, assuming there was a bottom, Annabeth and Percy would probably be flattened on impact, so giant spiders were the least of their worries.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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