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 April CPI was supposed to rectify the problem.
From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026
The Wi-Fi still worked—though he couldn’t answer, his phone kept pinging with updates and questions about the other Spirit planes Nomadic was supposed to ferry.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
The UN-appointed high representative is supposed to ensure that the agreement is followed and has wide-ranging powers to keep the country's ever-fractious ethno-political leaders in line.
From BBC • May 11, 2026
The app celebrates my two-day streak; as Dr. Becky might say, I’m “exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
From Slate • May 10, 2026
She was supposed to stay here, in Deadwood, where she would discover her worth.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
