premise

American  

[prem-is] / ˈprɛm ɪs /

noun

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)

premised, premising

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)

premised, premising

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

• repremise verb

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”; pre-

Example Sentences

A quietly brilliant premise, and a film no one has ever really made, despite the “hag” title perfectly primed for a tale of sick fixation.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

Three levels of support are available, depending on how close a premise was to the fire and the impact it had.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

Those practices saw the original premise of social media—an extension of our proverbial kitchen table—replaced with ethically questionable and legally dubious methodologies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Carlson briefly conceded the point—“I wouldn’t disagree”—but quickly returned to his initial premise.

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

I had no other choice, but I figured it was unlikely that premise would hold up.

From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos

Related Words

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