suppose
verb (used with object)
to assume (something) for the sake of argument, as part of a proposition or theory, a problem set to be solved as an exercise, etc..
have supposed
-
present perfectof suppose.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
“Who could have supposed when Mr. Jefferson went out of office,” mourned North Carolina senator Nathaniel Macon in 1818, “that his principles...would so soon have become unfashionable?”
From Textbooks ● Jan. 18, 2018
He mentioned my father once only, over lunch, in terms so casual that I might have supposed the topic could equally well have slipped his memory altogether:
From New York Times ● Sep. 6, 2017
The new control measures, undertaken in September of 1949, were carefully planned, and few people would have supposed that any harm could result.
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 3, 2017
Whether you are discussing religion, nationality, race or culture, people have supposed that an identity that survives through time and space must be propelled by some potent common essence.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 9, 2016
I could tell she was upset, but someone who didn’t know her well might well have supposed she was being thoughtful.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
