posit

play

verb pos·it \ ˈpä-zət \

Definition of posit

posited play \ˈpä-zə-təd, ˈpäz-təd\; positing play \ˈpä-zə-tiŋ, ˈpäz-tiŋ\

transitive verb

1 :to dispose or set firmly :fix

2 :to assume or affirm the existence of :postulate

3 :to propose as an explanation :suggest

See posit defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of posit from the Web

New research posits that without fancy accounting, half of unicorn startups would lose their horns.

— anne vandermey, Fortune, "Everything You Needed to Know About Overvalued Unicorns in One Chart," 24 Aug. 2017
The most common one posits that Sheela-na-Gigs are modeled after Romanesque architecture, which came to Ireland with the Anglo-Norman Invasion, which began in the 12th century.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Interactive Map Tracks Ireland’s Mysterious Naked Sculptures," 24 Aug. 2017
Others posit that La Mer is nothing more than fancy Vaseline.

— kathleen hou, The Cut, "10 Conspiracy Theories About the World’s Most Infamous Skin Cream," 23 Aug. 2017
But the bigger eclipse for science, according to astronomer Regas, was in 1919, when scientists took expeditions to try to prove Einstein's theory of general relativity which was first posited in 1915.

— shauna steigerwald, Cincinnati.com, "There is no planet Vulcan, and other things we've learned from eclipses," 18 Aug. 2017
The legal theory posits that individuals relinquish their privacy interest in data (like a call record or location data) to a third-party—so the government can access it with a court order rather than a warrant.

— cyrus farivar, Ars Technica, "Tech companies, law profs agree: The Fourth Amendment should protect data," 15 Aug. 2017
Aaron Allen, principal at Aaron Allen & Associates, a restaurant industry consultancy, posited in a LinkedIn post on Monday morning that the Chipotle illness might not just be a matter of luck.

— deena shanker, Bloomberg.com, "The Chipotle Corporate Sabotage Theory Returns," 25 July 2017
At key points in his piece, Wallace-Wells posits facts that mainstream climate science cannot support.

— robinson meyer, The Atlantic, "Are We as Doomed as That New York Magazine Article Says?," 10 July 2017
Additionally, Lieberman posited that Neanderthal vocal tracts resembled those of infant humans, too.

— ben guarino, chicagotribune.com, "Why can't monkeys talk? Scientists rumble over a curious question," 9 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'posit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of posit

Latin positus, past participle of ponere

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First Known Use: 1647

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POSIT Defined for English Language Learners

posit

play

verb

Definition of posit for English Language Learners

: to suggest (something, such as an idea or theory) especially in order to start a discussion

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