predicate

noun

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pred·i·cate | \ ˈpre-di-kət

Definition of predicate

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : something that is affirmed or denied of the subject in a proposition in logic

b : a term designating a property or relation

2 : the part of a sentence or clause that expresses what is said of the subject and that usually consists of a verb with or without objects, complements, or adverbial modifiers

predicate

verb

pred·i·cate | \ ˈpre-də-ˌkāt

predicated; predicating

Definition of predicate (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1a : affirm, declare

b archaic : preach

2a : to assert to be a quality, attribute, or property —used with following of predicates intelligence of humans

b : to make (a term) the predicate in a proposition

3 : found, base —usually used with on the theory is predicated on recent findings

4 : imply

predicate

adjective

pred·i·cate | \ ˈpre-di-kət

Definition of predicate (Entry 3 of 3)

: completing the meaning of a copula predicate adjective predicate noun

Other Words from predicate Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about predicate

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Synonyms for predicate

Synonyms: Verb

Did You Know?

Verb

The verb predicate means, among other things, "to found or base." Despite being attested as early as 1754, that sense has endured attack as a misuse on the grounds that it is not true to its Latin root praedicare, meaning "to proclaim, assert." This criticism, however, has subsided. Predicate can also mean "imply," but be careful about using it to mean "predict"-that use does appear in published sources sometimes, but it's an easy target for usage commentators, who are bound to consider it an all-too-predictable error. The meaning of predicate directly tapped from its Latin root-that is, "to assert"-most often occurs in metaphysic contemplation. A simplistic example of such use is the statement "if y is said to be x (e.g., an apple is a fruit), everything that is predicated of y is predicated of x."

Examples of predicate in a Sentence

Noun In the sentence “The child threw the ball,” the subject is “the child” and the predicate is “threw the ball.” Verb she has predicated her theory on recent findings by other astronomers Adjective In “the sun is hot,” “hot” is a predicate adjective.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The resulting documents revealed that there was no proper predicate for investigating Flynn. — The Editors, National Review, "Well Done, Mr. Attorney General," 15 Dec. 2020 That was little comfort to Edward Watts, a history professor at the University of California San Diego, who said Trump has likely laid the predicate for future leaders to challenge election results with little evidence to back up their claims. — Shane Goldmacher And Adam Nagourney, chicagotribune.com, "Under attack from Trump, America’s democratic institutions bend but don’t break," 14 Dec. 2020 International law requires a credible threat as a predicate for a strike and has measures against hitting civilian targets. — Ron Kampeas, sun-sentinel.com, "Will Trump leave Biden a war in the Middle East?," 1 Dec. 2020 The Justice Department determined that there had been no underlying basis to investigate Flynn (i.e., there was insufficient predicate to investigate him as a criminal suspect or as a clandestine agent of Russia). — Andrew C. Mccarthy, National Review, "D.C. Circuit Rules against Michael Flynn, Sending Case Back to Judge Sullivan," 1 Sep. 2020 Each of these arguments ignores its own racist predicate — the presumption that Black people are too dumb to understand which party favors their best interests. — Kyle Whitmire, al, "NASCAR and the GOP have the same problem. Only one is trying to do something about it.," 24 June 2020 There was no criminal predicate for the probe: Flynn’s communications with Sergey Kislyak — then the Russian ambassador to the U.S. — during the transition, which set off the whole affair, were entirely proper. — Nr Editors, National Review, "The Flynn Case Is a Travesty," 2 May 2020 The factual predicate for this Russia investigation. — Daniel Chaitin, Washington Examiner, "Trey Gowdy: John Durham looking at 'three important things'," 16 Feb. 2020 Horowitz concluded that the investigation had a legal predicate, was not launched for partisan reasons and yet was marred by gross and possibly criminal errors in the ongoing surveillance of low-level Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. — CBS News, "The House Judiciary Committee voted to impeach President Trump. Here's what happens next.," 14 Dec. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Ingeniously, Calhoun even managed to predicate his arguments for slavery in part upon the free trade principles of Adam Smith and the classical economists of the early 19th century. — Charlotte Allen, Washington Examiner, "The ghost of John C. Calhoun," 18 Feb. 2021 That a business predicated on at-home entertainment viewing benefited from consumers staying at home wasn’t the surprise. — Adam Epstein, Quartz, "Coronavirus is propelling Netflix to new heights—but is a crash inevitable?," 31 May 2020 Her plan appears to be predicated on the assumption that his sister has the fallback — in the event of Saul's death, Dorit hands over his most sensitive intelligence. — Seija Rankin, EW.com, "Homeland series finale recap: Goodbye to you, America," 27 Apr. 2020 Their bluster belies the fact that the U.S. strategy in the Cold War was largely predicated on avoiding direct conflict. — Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, "The Future of America’s Contest with China," 6 Jan. 2020 Saul argues against going to war based on wrong information, explicitly laying out the show's intriguing parallel to the 2003 Iraq War, which was predicated on weapons of mass destruction that were never found. — Bill Keveney, USA TODAY, "'Homeland' recap: Did Carrie kill Saul? More big revelations from Showtime's series finale," 27 Apr. 2020 The state budget is predicated on a slight increase in revenue. — James Salzer, ajc, "Georgia tax revenue drops $1 billion in April as pandemic takes its toll," 6 May 2020 In addition to being morally repugnant, these ideas are also predicated on flawed scientific assumptions. — Eleanor Cummins, The New Republic, "The Dark Search for a “Silver Lining” to the Coronavirus," 4 May 2020 But the plan is largely predicated on benchmarks including the availability of widespread testing, which governors say is not yet available. — Michael Collins, USA TODAY, "Trump’s social distancing guidelines quietly expire as the administration shifts focus to reopening," 30 Apr. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective But, unlike that of most other states, Minnesota law allows prosecutors to charge felony murder using assault as the predicate crime. — Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, "How the Charges Against Derek Chauvin Fit Into a Vision of Criminal-Justice Reform," 17 June 2020 Traditionally, the predicate felonies for felony murder included rape, arson, mayhem, robbery, burglary, larceny, prison breach and rescue of a felon. — NBC News, "Charges against Derek Chauvin suggest George Floyd's death was unintended," 3 June 2020 The predicate felony in Chauvin's case is third-degree assault. — NBC News, "Charges against Derek Chauvin suggest George Floyd's death was unintended," 3 June 2020 Right now, however, the larger goal simply has to be about establishing the predicate right to receive royalties. — Eriq Gardner, Billboard, "For Some Rock Pioneers, Warner Music Treats Streaming Royalties as Charity," 4 Apr. 2019 If past is predicate, those explanations will not prevent Mr. Trump from blaming the central bank for any economic problems as the country heads toward the 2020 election. — Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, "Fed Keeps Interest Rates Steady and Projects Little Movement Ahead," 11 Dec. 2019 All the Kavanaugh coverage has been intended to undermine his tenure and lay the predicate for structural reform of the U.S. judiciary. — Matthew Continetti, National Review, "Kavanaugh and the Crisis of Legitimacy," 21 Sep. 2019 Remington Arms had hoped the Supreme Court would review the decision, arguing that the exception only applies when the predicate statute explicitly mentions guns and gunmakers. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "Supreme Court won’t let Remington Arms dodge Sandy Hook bullet," 12 Nov. 2019 On the substance of the state law claims, WME argues that the unfair competition claim fails because of the defects in the predicate fiduciary duty, constructive fraud and anti-kickback claims and, once again, because the allegations are too vague. — Jonathan Handel, The Hollywood Reporter, "Where the Writers Guild Stands in Its Legal War With Agencies," 30 Oct. 2019

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

History and Etymology for predicate

Noun

Middle English, from Late Latin praedicatum, from neuter of praedicatus

Verb

Late Latin praedicatus, past participle of praedicare to assert, predicate logically, preach, from Latin, to proclaim, assert — more at preach

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Cite this Entry

“Predicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predicate. Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for predicate

predicate

noun

English Language Learners Definition of predicate

(Entry 1 of 3)

grammar : the part of a sentence that expresses what is said about the subject

predicate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of predicate (Entry 2 of 3)

formal : to base (something) on or upon something else

predicate

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of predicate (Entry 3 of 3)

grammar : used after a linking verb to describe a noun that comes before the verb

See the full definition for predicate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

predicate

noun

pred·i·cate | \ ˈpre-di-kət

Kids Definition of predicate

(Entry 1 of 2)

: the part of a sentence or clause that tells what is said about the subject “Rang” in “the doorbell rang” is the predicate.

predicate

adjective

Kids Definition of predicate (Entry 2 of 2)

: completing the meaning of a linking verb “Sweet” in “the sugar is sweet” is a predicate adjective.

predicate

transitive verb

pred·i·cate | \ ˈpre-də-ˌkāt

predicated; predicating

Legal Definition of predicate

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to set or ground on something : find a basis for —usually used with on Jurisdiction over the lawsuit was predicated on the California contacts — Daimler AG v. Bauman, 571 U.S. ___ (2014)

predicate

adjective

pred·i·cate | \ ˈpre-di-kət

Legal Definition of predicate (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : occurring prior to and providing the basis or part of the basis for a conviction for another offense (as a RICO offense) predicate acts

2 : occurring prior to and providing the basis for sentence enhancement upon conviction for a later offense

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