presuppose

American  

[pree-suh-pohz] / ˌpri səˈpoʊz /

verb (used with object)

presupposed, presupposing

1. to suppose or assume beforehand; take for granted in advance.

   Synonyms:

   presume

2. (of a thing, condition, or state of affairs) to require or imply as an antecedent condition.

   An effect presupposes a cause.

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presuppose British  

/ ˌpriːsəˈpəʊz, ˌpriːsʌpəˈzɪʃən /

verb

1. to take for granted; assume

2. to require or imply as a necessary prior condition

3. 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

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Other Word Forms

• presupposition noun

Etymology

Origin of presuppose

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

Example Sentences

The options market also tended to presuppose that the distant future would look more like the present than it usually did.

From Literature

But it also presupposes a grim reality: that some civilian deaths might be proportional.

From New York Times

But for many of us, a final resting place presupposes that one has had a final living place.

From Salon

"Today's announcement does not presuppose or any way suggest the outcome of the investigations into the tragic incident," he said in a statement.

From Reuters

Explaining consciousness with a concept that presupposes consciousness strikes me as circular reasoning—cheating.

From Scientific American

Related Words

• infer
• posit