predispose

American  

[pree-di-spohz] / ˌpri dɪˈspoʊz /

verb (used with object)

predisposed, predisposing

1. to give an inclination or tendency to beforehand; make susceptible.

   Genetic factors may predispose human beings to certain metabolic diseases.

   Synonyms:

   prepare, prearrange

2. to render subject, susceptible, or liable.

   The evidence predisposes him to public censure.

3. to dispose beforehand.

   Synonyms:

   incline, bias

4. Archaic. to dispose of beforehand, as in a will, legacy, or the like.

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verb (used without object)

predisposed, predisposing

1. to give or furnish a tendency or inclination.

   an underground job that predisposes to lung infection.

predispose British  

/ ˌpriːdɪˈspəʊz /

verb

1. to incline or make (someone) susceptible to something beforehand

2. law to dispose of (property, etc) beforehand; bequeath

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Other Word Forms

• predisposal noun
• unpredisposing adjective

Etymology

Origin of predispose

First recorded in 1640–50; pre- + dispose

Example Sentences

I wondered whether my own family history – great-grandparents born during the Irish famine, a grandmother who was traumatised by her war experiences in the 1920s – could have made me more genetically predisposed to PTSD?

From BBC

I have no predisposed notion on what goes into the inspection report.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Exosomes are used to communicate with and activate surrounding cells, and we have now identified a defect in both the production and the quality of exosomes in cells that we know are predisposed to Alzheimer's."

From Science Daily

"Clearly, the authors of these papers are predisposed in favour of Nova since they created it," she said, adding that more research is needed to identify the exact mechanisms that UPFs could be causing harm.

From Barron's

Charlie and his partners had done this often enough, and had had enough success, to know that the markets were predisposed to underestimating the likelihood of dramatic change.

From Literature

Related Words

• dispose
• incline