presuppose

[ pree-suh-pohz ]

verb (used with object)

, pre·sup·posed, pre·sup·pos·ing.

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.

presuppose

/ 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

Derived Forms

• presupposition, noun

Other Words From

• pre·sup·po·si·tion [pree-suhp-, uh, -, zish, -, uh, n], noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of presuppose¹

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

Example Sentences

I do think that in some cases, boldness presupposes some degree of stability.

From Time

Capitalism presupposes that you have things like competition, that you have things like price transparency, that you have things like efficient capital markets, that consumers are making choices.

From Ozy

In other words, the very engagement with rational argument and evidence presupposes facts about value.

From Nautilus

Never presuppose what business partners are thinking, but reach out, stay in touch, and find out if you can be helpful to them.

From Fortune

It deserves remark, that these early generalizations did not, like scientific inductions, presuppose causation.

From Project Gutenberg

All social judgments presuppose a system of recognized values.

From Project Gutenberg

More clearly even than petition does thanksgiving presuppose a personal being, capable of appreciating the feeling of gratitude.

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

It is however to be understood that the different cases all presuppose the same total moment of momentum.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• infer
• posit