presume
Americanverb (used with object)
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presumes,
present (3rd person singular)
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presumed,
past participle, past
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presuming
present participle
-
to take for granted, assume, or suppose.
I presume you're tired after your drive.
- Synonyms:
- presuppose
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Law. to assume as true in the absence of proof to the contrary.
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to undertake with unwarrantable boldness.
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to undertake (to do something) without right or permission.
to presume to speak for another.
verb (used without object)
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presumes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
presumed,
past participle, past
-
presuming
present participle
-
to take something for granted; suppose.
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to act or proceed with unwarrantable or impertinent boldness.
- Synonyms:
- overstep
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to go too far in acting unwarrantably or in taking liberties (usually followed by on orupon ).
Do not presume upon his tolerance.
verb
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(when tr, often takes a clause as object) to take (something) for granted; assume
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(when tr, often foll by an infinitive) to take upon oneself (to do something) without warrant or permission; dare
do you presume to copy my work?
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(intr; foll by on or upon) to rely or depend
don't presume on his agreement
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law to take as proved until contrary evidence is produced
Usage
What is the difference between presume and assume? Presume and assume have very similar meanings—they both mean to suppose that something is true without being able to confirm it. Assume, however, usually implies that the conclusion reached by the person doing the assuming is not based on much. Presume, on the other hand, often implies that the conclusion is based on something a bit stronger, such as some evidence or past situations in which the same thing happened. For example, you might presume that someone will be attending a meeting because they always attend and you have no reason to think they won’t be there. The word assume could also be used in this scenario, but it’s most likely to be used in situations in which there was less of a reason to have come to a certain conclusion. For example, you might assume something about someone you’ve just met based only on how they look (which is never a good idea). A good way to remember this difference in how the two words are used is that the prefix pre- in presume means “before”—when you presume things, you’re often basing that presumption on something that has happened before. As for assume, well, we’ll just assume you know a good way of remembering how it’s used. Presume and assume also have a few meanings that don’t overlap. Presume can mean to undertake or do something without permission or justification, as in I don’t presume to speak for the entire class. Assume can mean to take on, adopt, or be endowed with something, as in I don’t want to assume any new responsibilities. Here are examples of presume and assume used correctly in a sentence. Example: I presumed, based on your resume, that you knew how to work with this software. Example: I assumed you knew what you were doing when you volunteered to bake the cake, but apparently I shouldn’t have. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between presume and assume.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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presumesimple
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presumessimple
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have presumedperfect
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has presumedperfect
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am presumingprogressive
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are presumingprogressive
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is presumingprogressive
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have been presumingperfect progressive
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has been presumingperfect progressive
Past
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presumedsimple
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had presumedperfect
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was presumingprogressive
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were presumingprogressive
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had been presumingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of presume
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English presumen, from Old French presumer, from Latin praesūmere “to take beforehand” (in Late Latin: “to take for granted, assume, dare”), from prae- pre- + sūmere “to take up” ( cf. consume)
Explanation
If you presume something, it means you act as though it's true before all the evidence is in. If you are presumed to be the fastest runner, don't get too cocky — that word implies that you haven't actually raced yet. To presume is to take something for granted. The famous quote “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” comes from the explorer Henry Morton Stanley, who ran into the explorer David Livingstone in the wilds of Africa in 1871. It’s funny because these were the only two white men known to be in that part of Africa at the time.
Vocabulary lists containing presume
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The Diary of Anne Frank
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Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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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.
See Examples For:
It essentially means that judges must presume that the government — whether it be federal prosecutors, an IRS auditor or an FBI agent — did their jobs according to the rules and in good faith.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín said the combination of the two film studios’ market share of theatrical movies has persuaded the court “that it can presume the proposed merger is likely to violate antitrust laws.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
“On this combined firm market share alone, the Court is persuaded that it can presume the proposed merger is likely to violate antitrust laws,” the judge wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
None of you, I presume, are personally giving more than $19,000.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026
‘I presume Mr. Marx was a Christian church man?’ asked the preacher.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
The city’s fiscal 2026-27 budget already presumes the ticket price increase will go into effect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Hopefully, it’s not as bad as that worst-case scenario presumes.
From MarketWatch ● May 25, 2026
Indexing presumes general market efficiency: The counterparty to an active seller is an active buyer; both are confident, well-staffed and diligent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
And that presumes the published NAVs represent current reality; most NAVs are as of Dec. 31, and much has happened since then.
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
It’s paradoxical that an ordinary man like Nemur presumes to devote himself to making other people geniuses.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
We’re presumed to be coldhearted tyrants who spend too much money on gear and private coaches and daydream about DI scholarships that will never come.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Rather than relying only on the size, anatomy or presumed hunting abilities of extinct animals, researchers can use the marks left on bones to identify signs of actual feeding or attacks.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026
The Portuguese striker posted an image on his Instagram account , externalshowing two hands - presumed to be his on top of his wife's - both wearing wedding rings.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The couple donated a combined $26 million to 20 local and national charities ahead of their presumed nuptials, Swift’s publicist told Business Insider.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
Galton may have derided the “microscope” of experimental geneticists, but the tool was far more powerful than Galton had presumed, for it could penetrate the outer shell of heredity into the mechanism itself.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Greenspan, who retired just before disaster struck, acknowledged to Congress in late 2008 that he had "made a mistake" in presuming companies were best positioned to protect themselves and their shareholders without government oversight.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
Videos captured people murmuring confusedly, presuming technical difficulties, before the truth dawned on the crowd that pyrotechnics would not be forthcoming.
From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2026
And that’s presuming you do make it to the Taj Mahal.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 31, 2025
But investors are already presuming a lot of success.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2025
When he pictured his wife having to make such plans, presuming him to be dead, his heart raged.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
