presumably
Americanadverb
adverb
Etymology
Origin of presumably
First recorded in 1640–50; presumable + -ly
Explanation
Presumably you are reading these word blurbs because you're interested in learning some useful words. You can add presumably to any statement that you think is true — it indicates a logical conclusion for which you don't have definite proof. When you add presumably to whatever you're saying, you're giving notice that you think what you're saying is true but telling your listener not to ask for the evidence. You might watch beer commercials and say to yourself, "Presumably advertisers think people will find this commercial amusing and want to run out and buy tubs of this beer." The adverb presumably is related to the nouns presumption and assumption, which are also notions you accept without proof.
Vocabulary lists containing presumably
Holes
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Copper Sun
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sesko, presumably, has put himself in line to start against Sabah?
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
You said you were looking forward to spending more alone time with her, presumably to forge a deeper bond.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
Those details presumably would have been submitted as evidence at a trial, which now will not take place.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Something more is required than “the psychological consequence presumably produced by observation of conduct with which one disagrees.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
She was perfectly calm as she glanced at the foot of the bed to take in the man’s name and, presumably, his condition, then she stood over him and gazed into his face.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
