premises

British  

/ ˈprɛmɪsɪz /

plural noun

1. a piece of land together with its buildings, esp considered as a place of business

2. law

   1. (in a deed, etc) the matters referred to previously; the aforesaid; the foregoing

   2. the introductory part of a grant, conveyance, etc

3. law (in the US) the part of a bill in equity that states the names of the parties, details of the plaintiff's claims, etc

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Explanation

The premises of a property consist of the land and buildings on it, usually of a business or organization. If there are no dogs allowed on the premises of a school, you'll have to leave your furry friend at home. A game of hide-and-go-seek where you can’t leave the house will go a lot faster than one that permits hiding anywhere on the premises, including outdoors. Premises has another, unrelated meaning — it can also be the assumption or hypothesis from which a conclusion is drawn. The English writer Samuel Butler said, “Life is the art of drawing sufficient conclusions from insufficient premises.” Meaning, much of life is about guesswork.

Example Sentences

The government also proposed that drivers caught fly-tipping could be given penalty points on their licence and the EA could gain police-style powers to search premises without a warrant and arrest those suspected of fly-tipping.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

On Thursday, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano said Dela Rosa had once again fled the premises, without disclosing his new location.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

Dela Rosa has said that he would remain within the Senate's premises and "do everything" to avoid being taken to the Hague.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

In the meantime, visitors may not know: Wi Spa has an “Aescape” AI-powered massage robot on its premises.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

The upshot is that physics had two theories, based on conflicting premises, that produced the same results.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson