posit
Americanverb (used with object)
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to place, put, or set.
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to lay down or assume as a fact or principle; postulate.
noun
verb
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to assume or put forward as fact or the factual basis for an argument; postulate
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to put in position
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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positsimple
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positssimple
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have positedperfect
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has positedperfect
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am positingprogressive
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are positingprogressive
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is positingprogressive
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have been positingperfect progressive
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has been positingperfect progressive
Past
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positedsimple
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had positedperfect
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was positingprogressive
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were positingprogressive
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had been positingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of posit
First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin positus, past participle of pōnere “to place, put”
Explanation
To posit something is to assume or suggest that it is true. You can posit an idea or opinion. When you posit, you submit an idea or give an opinion. Scientists posit many ideas — called hypotheses — that they then try to prove or disprove through experimentation and research. In science, you hear about positing a lot, and the same is true in math and logic. When you say "If X, then Y" you're positing a proposition. Positing can also mean to put something somewhere firmly — this means to deposit, fix, or situate.
Vocabulary lists containing posit
"This Is Water" by David Foster Wallace
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"What Is Cultural Identity?"
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Big Science
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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.
"It's not for me to posit whether it's the beginning, the middle or the end."
From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026
With these comments, Noem, Vance, and others defending the officer posit that if Good had simply followed orders and gotten out of the car, none of this would have happened.
From Slate • Jan. 15, 2026
“West End Girl” and the public’s ensuing reaction posit that it might be possible.
From Salon • Oct. 29, 2025
She has done little to tamp the speculation since, though some posit she is merely expanding her profile ahead of a run for county executive in 2028.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2025
And let me now posit this: 'dignity7 has to do crucially with a butler's ability not to abandon the professional being he inhabits.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
