supposed to
Idioms-
Intended to; also, believed to, expected to. For example, This pill is supposed to relieve your pain , or You're supposed to be my partner . [Early 1300s]
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Required to, as in He is supposed to call home . [Mid-1800s]
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not supposed to . Not permitted to, as in You're not supposed to smoke in here .
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.
The Chinese-European electric trucking startup that was supposed to rival Tesla is running low on funds—and workers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
When it comes to reasonable doubt, if a juror actually believes there’s reasonable doubt, that’s supposed to work in Lindsey’s favor.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
"The prime minister is not supposed to talk about the king's heir. It is a cultural process," one royal clan member was quoted as saying by Uganda's state-owned New Vision newspaper.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
“If I had married when I was supposed to get married, I would have lost my name, my legal residence, my credit rating, many of my civil rights.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
I say in what’s supposed to be a light and jokey kind of way.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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.
