assume
Americanverb (used with object)
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to take for granted or without proof.
to assume that everyone wants peace.
- Synonyms:
- posit, postulate, presuppose, suppose
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to take upon oneself; undertake.
to assume an obligation.
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to take over the duties or responsibilities of.
to assume the office of treasurer.
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to take on (a particular character, quality, mode of life, etc.); adopt.
He assumed the style of an aggressive go-getter.
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to take on; be invested or endowed with.
The situation assumed a threatening character.
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to pretend to have or be; feign.
to assume a humble manner.
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to appropriate or arrogate; seize; usurp.
to assume a right to oneself; to assume control.
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to take upon oneself (the debts or obligations of another).
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Archaic. to take into relation or association; adopt.
verb (used without object)
verb
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(may take a clause as object) to take for granted; accept without proof; suppose
to assume that someone is sane
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to take upon oneself; undertake or take on or over (a position, responsibility, etc)
to assume office
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to pretend to; feign
he assumed indifference, although the news affected him deeply
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to take or put on; adopt
the problem assumed gigantic proportions
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to appropriate or usurp (power, control, etc); arrogate
the revolutionaries assumed control of the city
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Christianity (of God) to take up (the soul of a believer) into heaven
Usage
What's the difference between assume and presume? Assume and presume 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. Assume and presume also have a few meanings that don’t overlap. Assume can mean to take on, adopt, or be endowed with something, as in I don’t want to assume any new responsibilities. Presume can mean to undertake or do something without permission or justification, as in I don’t presume to speak for the entire class. Here are examples of assume and presume used correctly in a sentence. Example: I assumed you knew what you were doing when you volunteered to bake the cake, but apparently I shouldn’t have. Example: I presumed, based on your resume, that you knew how to work with this software. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between assume and presume.
Synonym Usage
See pretend.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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assumernoun
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overassumeverb (used with object)
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preassumeverb (used with object)
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reassumeverb (used with object)
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assumableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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assumesimple
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assumessimple
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have assumedperfect
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has assumedperfect
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am assumingprogressive
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are assumingprogressive
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is assumingprogressive
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have been assumingperfect progressive
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has been assumingperfect progressive
Past
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assumedsimple
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had assumedperfect
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was assumingprogressive
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were assumingprogressive
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had been assumingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of assume
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English (from Anglo-French assumer ), from Latin assūmere “to take to, adopt,” equivalent to as- “toward” + sūmere “to take up”; see as-, consume
Explanation
Assume isn't only used to mean "accept as truth without checking"; it also means "take on the form of." It might be safer if you don't assume that the vampire standing in front of you isn't merely a person assuming that form. Assume always has the sense of taking on something. It may be the belief in the appearance of truth: Your mother probably assumes you do your homework right after school. It may be another form or identity: Superman assumes the identity of a city reporter. Or, it might be a physical space: If you get nervous while driving, your dad might assume control of the car.
Vocabulary lists containing assume
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 1-10
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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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:
Because the intelligence agency knows of Almásy’s affair with Katharine, they assume Geoffrey’s death is suspicious and imprison Almásy as he tries to get help.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
“The public can no longer assume that a piece of mail dropped in a mailbox before collection time on a specific day will be postmarked that same day,” Alexander said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
"After the colourful spring with seemingly lots of beautiful butterflies appearing across the UK, it's tempting to assume we're heading for a bumper summer," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Developers and business leaders say they assume Shorris will actively steer the city’s policy, since CEOs of the agency typically set the agenda.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
His father and grandfather, I assume, each with a hand on one of Theo’s shoulders, each in nubby sweaters, pushing him forward a little, presenting him.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Brian Schwartz and Idan Gutkind at Oppenheimer said that while the company’s cloud backlog continues to show growth, guidance risk is also increasing, as SAP currently assumes de-escalation in Iran.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
But the action is nullified by the fact that Ono assumes the stoic posture of the Buddhist monks seen in the news at the time setting themselves aflame in protest of the Vietnam War.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
The projection "assumes no material escalation in the Middle East" and no significant jump in commodity costs, according to a slide.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Nowadays, he just assumes they are, and chooses his words more carefully.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
This assumes that the universe is described by a Friedmann model, right back to the big bang.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
Josh Smith, from Wrexham, began experiencing brain fog and headaches in January, but assumed he was "just tired".
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Etching chips with DUV "is slower, lower-yield and more expensive than EUV production, but it is proving sufficient for near-frontier chips, unsettling policymakers and investors who had assumed China faced tighter constraints".
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
The fallout from that decision illustrated the importance the drones have already assumed for climbers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Only the real joke, it seems, is that Judith assumed her mission-completion rate and dedication were enough to maintain the respect of Sam and their boss, played by Bill Nighy.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
He assumed it was just for appearance’s sake and was surprised when the food did come that she promptly began emptying the saltshaker over the slices and biting into one.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Burnham has announced a series of new measures since assuming office last week, including cuts to electricity bills and bringing the bus fare cap in most parts of England back down to £2.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Note that, even assuming the spread expands, we can’t predict whether Treasury rates themselves will be higher or lower.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Law enforcement officials say parents sometimes buy electric motorcycles for their children assuming they are like e-bikes, but e-motorcycles can reach far higher speeds than regular e-bikes and require a driver’s license.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Prologis said based on its stock’s closing price of $149.79 on Friday and assuming Segro shareholders opt for the 20% cash component, the third proposal values each Segro share at 993 pence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
That’s assuming he did a real count, instead of just saying any old number.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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.
