suppose

verb

sup·​pose sə-ˈpōz How to pronounce suppose (audio)
 usually after "I"  ˈspōz
supposed; supposing

transitive verb

1
a
: to lay down tentatively as a hypothesis, assumption, or proposal
suppose a fire broke out
suppose you bring the salad
b(1)
: to hold as an opinion : believe
they supposed they were early
(2)
: to think probable or in keeping with the facts
seems reasonable to suppose that he would profit
2
b
: to have a suspicion of
3

Examples of suppose in a Sentence

Suppose a fire broke out. How would we escape? Just suppose for a moment that you agreed with me. Supposing he refuses to help, what do we do then? The renovations will cost much more than we originally supposed.
Recent Examples on the Web It’s supposed to take place, appropriately, on the fourth of July. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024 The two hop into his vintage red Triumph to pay a visit to the Cliffs of Moher, where he’s supposed to snap some pre-wedding photos of her. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024 Here’s how it is supposed to tie into this celestial event: The grains used in the mashbill are midnight wheat from New Zealand and white corn from Texas, which are supposed to represent the moon blocking out the sun. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2024 According to the company’s disclosures, Winfrey wasn’t supposed to let any company but WeightWatchers use her name, likeness, and endorsement in connection with any other weight loss or weight management programs. Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2024 That’s kind of cool, but now what am I supposed to do with this information? John Loeppky, Verywell Health, 11 Mar. 2024 While the update was originally only supposed to take six hours, 25 hours elapsed before the game was fully operational again, meaning most users were unable to play the new season until the following day. Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Mar. 2024 According to the bit, Cena was then supposed to run on stage to recreate the moment. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 11 Mar. 2024 The possible side effects are sometimes just as bad as the symptoms they’re supposed to alleviate. Lauren Oyler, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'suppose.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French supposer, from Medieval Latin supponere (perfect indicative supposui), from Latin, to put under, substitute, from sub- + ponere to put — more at position

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of suppose was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near suppose

Cite this Entry

“Suppose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suppose. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

suppose

verb
sup·​pose sə-ˈpōz How to pronounce suppose (audio)
supposed; supposing
1
: to take as true or as a fact for the sake of argument
suppose a fire should break out
2
: to hold as an opinion : believe
they supposed they were on the right bus
3
: to come to a conclusion arrived at by guessing
who do you suppose will win

More from Merriam-Webster on suppose

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