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

"The deals were not premised on whether or not the emergency tariff litigation would rise or fall," he said.

From BBC

At the start of 2025, the charity moved to a new premises and adopted a new database system, meaning it is not possible to compare this year's figures with previous reports, it said.

From BBC

None questioned the premise of keeping their sons back for sports reasons.

From The Wall Street Journal

But now the report has become the centre of a fierce debate among experts who are questioning its findings - and the entire premise of the quiet revival, which was primarily based on one survey.

From BBC

Detectives found that environmental health officers visited the premises on 6 July 2023 and were shown an empty mortuary room.

From BBC

Related Words

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