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.
“You are not supposed to shoot when refilling!” he screamed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026
What was supposed to be a night of celebration for her and husband Jake's 10th wedding anniversary, turned into a nightmare.
From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2026
They are supposed to follow this company closely.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 12, 2026
But since the crash in the Kospi this summer, followers have begun to leave comments such as “Help us” and “What are we supposed to do?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026
He wondered what he was supposed to do with it.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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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.
