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.
There is some reason behind the maddening format, introduced after France – who were supposed to host a 16-team men's World Cup last summer – pulled out because of money troubles.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
But we weren’t really supposed to be here.
From Slate ● Oct. 23, 2026
Anduril has developed an AI-powered helmet for humans that is supposed to give soldiers better awareness of their surroundings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
I often justify impulse purchases by telling myself that my money is supposed to bring me some happiness.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
“It wasn’t supposed to end this way,” Miss Genovese says, sadly.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
