posit
Americanverb (used with object)
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posits,
present (3rd person singular)
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posited,
past participle, past
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positing
present participle
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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.
See Examples For:
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
Strategists at 22V Research posit the rising 30-year yield is more reflective of longer-term fiscal and inflation risks than the fed-funds rate.
From Barron's ● Dec. 12, 2025
One can find a cheaper home farther from the coast, so for argument’s sake let’s posit a $500,000 home with a $40,000 mortgage: $2,450 a month, or only $29,400.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025
“West End Girl” and the public’s ensuing reaction posit that it might be possible.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2025
“There are flying squirrels, you know. They exist. In fact, there are some theories that posit that all squirrels are descended from the flying squirrel. In any case, flying squirrels themselves are a documented fact.”
From "Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures" by Kate DiCamillo
Senhor José posits various reasons of his own—loneliness, a wish for change, a belief that he can save her from dusty obscurity—and the novel takes on the form of his mental equivocations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Which is why, Thompson posits, busy celebrities are drawn to it — it’s efficient.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Another piece, this one written by two Gen-Z women, posits that Holden himself is “the ultimate performative male.”
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
Less publicity has been given to his observations regarding the Phillips curve, which posits a trade-off between inflation and unemployment.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
“Ah, but most of them are complacent,” Nansi posits.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Some experts have also posited that being rude to AI chatbots could adversely impact human communication, by seeping into how we talk to and treat others.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
“Her Private Hell” is not merely glittering debris, as some have posited, nor is it style over substance; it’s a campfire story told by Thatcher’s unearthly orator, with just as much chilling impact.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
“Die Zauberflöte,” a collaboration between director Clément Cogitore and conductor Leonardo García-Alarcón, posited an elaborate allegory about the end of childhood and the collapse of post-World War II optimism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Myriad other reasons have been posited, such as increased use of contraception, more female education, and growing housing or childcare costs.
From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026
She posited: “You probably went into shock. That’s why you’re not remembering.”
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Sheinbaum has sought to avoid confrontation with Trump while also positing herself as a defender of Mexican sovereignty.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Some seasoned startup investors had a more measured read, positing that Anthropic’s updated language was an effort to simplify its investor list as it prepares for an initial public offering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
The same day, President Donald Trump gave a more straightforward answer, positing that the war would last “four to six weeks,” saying that the campaign was “substantially ahead” of schedule.
From Salon ● Mar. 24, 2026
In late 2022, she made headlines after positing in an interview with RealLyfe Productions that the fallen music executive was behind the deaths of former Uptown Records figures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2024
Rather than confirm Lawrence’s results, Caltech’s Lauritsen contradicted them, positing that the neutrons produced by his bombardments had come from disintegrating targets, not disintegrating deutons.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
