presuppose

[ pree-suh-pohz ]
See synonyms for: presupposepresupposedpresupposing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),pre·sup·posed, pre·sup·pos·ing.
  1. to suppose or assume beforehand; take for granted in advance.

  2. (of a thing, condition, or state of affairs) to require or imply as an antecedent condition: An effect presupposes a cause.

Origin of presuppose

1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French presupposer; see pre-, suppose

Other words for presuppose

Other words from presuppose

  • pre·sup·po·si·tion [pree-suhp-uh-zish-uhn], /ˌpri sʌp əˈzɪʃ ən/, noun

Words Nearby presuppose

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use presuppose in a sentence

  • All social judgments presuppose a system of recognized values.

    The New Society | Walther Rathenau
  • More clearly even than petition does thanksgiving presuppose a personal being, capable of appreciating the feeling of gratitude.

  • They actually presuppose its existence in the Church as the necessary condition of their own existence.

    Our Lady Saint Mary | J. G. H. Barry
  • It is however to be understood that the different cases all presuppose the same total moment of momentum.

    Time and Tide | Robert S. (Robert Stawell) Ball

British Dictionary definitions for presuppose

presuppose

/ (ˌpriːsəˈpəʊz) /


verb(tr)
  1. to take for granted; assume

  2. to require or imply as a necessary prior condition

  1. philosophy logic linguistics to require (a condition) to be satisfied as a precondition for a statement to be either true or false or for a speech act to be felicitous. Have you stopped beating your wife? presupposes that the person addressed has a wife and has beaten her

Derived forms of presuppose

  • presupposition (ˌpriːsʌpəˈzɪʃən), noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012