suppose
Americanverb (used with object)
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supposes,
present (3rd person singular)
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supposed,
past participle, past
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supposing
present participle
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to assume (something) for the sake of argument, as part of a proposition or theory, a problem set to be solved as an exercise, etc..
If we suppose the distance to be one mile, and his jogging speed to be six miles per hour, how long will it take him to cover the distance?
OK, let's suppose we can get through their defenses—what then?
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to consider (something) as a suggested possibility or proposed plan.
Suppose we wait until tomorrow, after the weather clears up.
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to believe or presume to be true; take for granted.
Most people supposed that his death was an accident.
Will you go on forever supposing that you can act this way without consequences?
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to think or hold tentatively as an opinion; guess; imagine.
What do you suppose he will do?
I don’t suppose they’d lend us their truck, would they?
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to require logically; imply; presuppose.
The evidence supposes his presence near the scene.
verb (used without object)
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supposes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
supposed,
past participle, past
-
supposing
present participle
idioms
verb
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to presume (something) to be true without certain knowledge
I suppose he meant to kill her
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to consider as a possible suggestion for the sake of discussion, elucidation, etc; postulate
suppose that he wins the election
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(of theories, propositions, etc) to imply the inference or assumption (of)
your policy supposes full employment
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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supposesimple
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supposessimple
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have supposedperfect
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has supposedperfect
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am supposingprogressive
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are supposingprogressive
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is supposingprogressive
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have been supposingperfect progressive
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has been supposingperfect progressive
Past
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supposedsimple
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had supposedperfect
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was supposingprogressive
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were supposingprogressive
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had been supposingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of suppose
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English supposen, from Old French supposer, from sup- sup- + poser “to place, put” ( see pose 1); compare Medieval Latin suppōnere “to suppose” (in Latin: “to substitute, place below”)
Explanation
If you suppose you want to see that new horror movie, you may not be too sure. Suppose means to guess, think, or imagine something without absolute certainty. Best to hold off and watch something funny instead. Suppose also has the meaning of assuming something hypothetical for the sake of argument. You might ask, "Suppose someone breaks in while I'm away?" Suppose also has the more technical (and often legal) sense of something you must take for granted if some other condition is to happen. Your theory might suppose the victim was home by 8:00. In this last sense, suppose introduces something that's a precondition.
Vocabulary lists containing suppose
Think Tank: Thought-Provoking Vocabulary
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A Farewell To Arms
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"Journeys," Vocabulary from Lesson 28
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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’s hard to articulate exactly what Woke 1 is or, I suppose, was.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
“But there have been amazing times as well,” he continued, “I suppose that’s just life. Of course, I knew that.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
So suppose AI delivers a modest 1% increase in U.S. life expectancy through better diagnosis and treatment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Roper, who lives with his wife, Janny, 44, and their border collie Rosie, four, said: "I've never won anything before in my life. I suppose I've just been saving it all up for this."
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
“We thought it would be like the blitz on London, I suppose, when the Luftwaffe came.”
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
Mr. Denton is the centerpiece of the cast, one supposes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025
“Sinners,” Ryan Coogler’s newest film, supposes that music has the power to conjure spirits past, present and evil.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2025
Big scientific discoveries tend to attract myths which supposes their creation to have occurred "at one moment by one person", but the overarching research "tends to need collaboration across national boundaries," he added.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2025
The pathway for law students supposes that law schools will be involved in some level, Rooksby said.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 18, 2024
But renewal becomes impossible if one supposes things to be constant that are not—safety, for example, or money, or power.
From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
A blink-and-you'll-miss-him appearance from a substitute who was supposed to be a leader, a senior man, a guy to nurse Rangers to the endgame with their flimsy 1-0 lead intact.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
“Don’t tell me anything that I’m not supposed to know because I won’t remember to forget,” Jobs told Romello.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
The Apple TV series “Ted Lasso” is supposed to primarily be a wide-appealing comedy, yet its role in popularizing soccer in the U.S. can’t be dismissed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
An HSA is supposed to fill that gap.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
He isn’t supposed to be in Manila in the first place, and who knows how much longer he’ll have to be there?
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
“I would be a little leery of supposing that it’s a gaming of the system in order to get some unfair advantage,” Vaughn said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
But just supposing the Lords backed down and the plan became law, there is no guarantee we will see a flight take off.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2024
After being asked if he knew why he had been stopped, the driver responded, “Yeah, because I was on the wrong side of the road,” further supposing that he must have missed an exit.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 2, 2023
Russell was hired by and lampooned both Democrats and Republicans, tilting his humor “toward whoever’s in power” and supposing that “it will even out on Judgment Day.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2023
Auntie Idris asks, and I’m supposing she means about the parades tomorrow.
From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender
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.
