premise

American  

[prem-is] / ˈprɛm ɪs /

noun

• premises
  plural

1. Logic. Also premiss. a proposition supporting or helping to support a conclusion.

   Synonyms:

   postulate, assumption

2. premises,

   1. a tract of land including its buildings.

   2. a building together with its grounds or other appurtenances.

   3. the property forming the subject of a conveyance or bequest.

3. Law.

   1. a basis, stated or assumed, on which reasoning proceeds.

   2. an earlier statement in a document.

   3. (in a bill in equity) the statement of facts upon which the complaint is based.

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verb (used with object)

• premises,
  present (3rd person singular)
• premised,
  past participle,  past
• premising
  present participle

1. to set forth beforehand, as by way of introduction or explanation.

2. to assume, either explicitly or implicitly, (a proposition) as a premise for a conclusion.

   Synonyms:

   hypothesize, postulate

verb (used without object)

• premises,
  present (3rd person singular)
• premised,
  past participle,  past
• premising
  present participle

1. to state or assume a premise.

premise British  

noun

1. Also: premiss.  logic a statement that is assumed to be true for the purpose of an argument from which a conclusion is drawn

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verb

1. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to state or assume (a proposition) as a premise in an argument, theory, etc

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• repremise
  verb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• premises
  plural

Participles

• premising
  present
• premised
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• premise
  simple
• premises
  simple
• have premised
  perfect
• has premised
  perfect
• am premising
  progressive
• are premising
  progressive
• is premising
  progressive
• have been premising
  perfect progressive
• has been premising
  perfect progressive

Past

• premised
  simple
• had premised
  perfect
• was premising
  progressive
• were premising
  progressive
• had been premising
  perfect progressive

Future

• will premise
  simple
• will have premised
  perfect
• will be premising
  progressive
• will have been premising
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of premise

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English premiss, from Medieval Latin praemissa, noun use of feminine of Latin praemissus, past participle of praemittere “to send before,” equivalent to prae- “before, in front, ahead,” + mittere “to send”; see pre-

Explanation

A premise is what forms the basis of a theory or a plot. When you called 911 on the guy in your back yard, it was on the premise that he was a thief and not the meter-reader. In logic, the premise is the basic statement upon whose truth an argument is based. Criticize alternative theories by demonstrating their false premises. In a more general sense, it's a basic assertion. On the premise that people are generally good, you keep your doors unlocked. Premise is also used more loosely for the starting point for a plot. A movie's premise could be that two people trapped on a desert island will inevitably fall in love.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

premise premises premised premising

I have spent five decades trading on a simple premise: Markets aggregate information no committee possesses, and prices are how that information reaches decision makers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Dave’s Hot Chicken has adopted a similar premise for its spicier entry into the market, but for many Caniacs, nothing beats the stripped-down glory of the original.

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026

Under that premise, the role should go to a candidate from Latin America this time.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

A chip built for a single model offers a weaker premise: a renter if its model is still wanted, nothing if it isn’t.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

The very concept of injustice rests upon a premise of equal claims, and this boy here today makes no claim upon you.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Court premises in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, and elsewhere have been shut as the deadline for filing a petition against the outcome of the recent presidential election approaches.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

To set up manufacturing space on a lot zoned for retail, Leong and his wife opened Ando Café on the premises.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Around him, the concrete blocks meant to shield the premises that proved useless.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

It stopped making bikes in the city decades ago, and in 2024 it vacated its headquarters on Church Street in Eastwood to move to new premises less than a mile away.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Kaz waited all night until he saw a boy about his age leave the premises.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

“This transaction is premised on growth, not cost-cutting,” Paramount said in a statement, adding “we will be reducing debt while continuing to invest in the business and content for the long term.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Trademarks, unlike copyrights or patents, are intellectual property that are not premised on creating value for whoever registers them; they’re about protecting consumers.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

Expectations of the proliferation of AI across industries and in consumer applications were premised on a massive build-out of the data centers needed to support the technology.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026

The 2026 fuel subsidy calculation was premised on a global oil price of $70 per barrel, but prices have since topped $100.

From Barron's ● Mar. 31, 2026

The colorblindness ideal is premised on the notion that we, as a society, can never be trusted to see race and treat each other fairly or with genuine compassion.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Feinstein, who is well known for her opposition to drones, is premising her legislation on safety concerns.

From Forbes ● Dec. 3, 2014

One of his most premising innovations was a new Secretariat for non-Christian religions; but Paul entrusted the project to a Curia professional, Paolo Cardinal Marella, and almost nothing has been heard of it since.

From Time Magazine Archive

Nevertheless, we must essay it; premising, by-the-by, that if our readers while in London do not go to see the Viaduct for themselves, our trouble will be three parte thrown away. 

From Collins' Illustrated Guide to London and Neighbourhood by Anonymous

"I leave the explanation to Mr. Legard," said May, blushing a little under Sir Rupert's glance, "whilst I go and see mamma, only premising that luncheon hour is past, and you had better not linger."

From Sir Noel's Heir A Novel by May Agnes Fleming

He consulted me this afternoon on the choice of books, premising that his taste ran mainly on war and travel.

From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 23 (of 25) by Robert Louis Stevenson

Related Words

• assertion
• assumption
• basis
• ground
• presumption
• proposition
• thesis