presume

verb

pre·sume pri-ˈzüm

presumed; presuming

Synonyms of presume next

transitive verb

: to undertake without leave or clear justification : dare

: to expect or assume especially with confidence

: to suppose to be true without proof

presumed innocent until proved guilty

: to take for granted : imply

intransitive verb

: to act or proceed presumptuously or on a presumption

: to go beyond what is right or proper

presumedly

pri-ˈzü-məd-lē

-ˈzümd-lē

adverb

presumer noun

Did you know?

The Difference Between Assume and Presume

Assume and presume both mean "to take something for granted" or "to take something as true," but the words differ in the degree of confidence the person assuming or presuming has. Presume is used when someone is making an informed guess based on reasonable evidence. Assume is used when the guess is based on little or no evidence.

Presume functions a little differently in the legal catchphrase "presumed innocent until proven guilty." That sense of presume is separately defined as "to suppose to be true without proof." It is based on the fact that legal systems grant a defendant the presumption of innocence, thereby placing the burden of proof on the prosecution.

Examples of presume in a Sentence

“Is she still at work?” “I presume so, since she's not home.” The court must presume innocence until there is proof of guilt.

Recent Examples on the Web For married people, most states recognize the concept of marital presumption, which presumes that a child born to a married woman is the biological child of her husband, according to the American Bar Association. —

Joedy McCreary, USA TODAY, 8 Sep. 2023 The Times’ story may presume that Salt Lake City could be another Austin. —

Megan Banta, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 Sep. 2023 Mateer learned in the same period that Paul had hired a woman who was a former mistress to Paxton and presumed that the new hire meant the extramarital affair between the two had started back up. —

Anna Giaritelli, Washington Examiner, 6 Sep. 2023 Officers entered the store a minute later – 11 minutes from the start of the shooting – and heard one gunshot, which is presumed to be when the gunman shot and killed himself, the sheriff said. —

Jennifer Henderson, CNN, 29 Aug. 2023 Meiko had discipline problems and stopped going to class — uncharacteristic for Meiko and embarrassing for Michael, who presumed that his son was merely running with the wrong crowd. —

John Branch Joe Ward, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023 President Vladimir Putin has ordered Wagner mercenary fighters to sign an oath of allegiance to the Russian state days after its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and some of his lieutenants were presumed to have died in a plane crash. —

Leila Sackur, NBC News, 26 Aug. 2023 Speaking to The Washington Post on Thursday, Collins said the Fed will need to keep rates high for a long period of time, rather than presume the job is done and cut rates too early. —

Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2023 But Trump finds himself in a different position, where viewers of the mug shot will likely be split: Those who support Trump may see a man wrongfully accused while those who presume him guilty may see it as validation of their beliefs. —

Amanda Hoover, WIRED, 25 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'presume.' 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 Late Latin & Anglo-French; Anglo-French presumer, from Late Latin praesumere to dare, from Latin, to anticipate, assume, from prae- + sumere to take — more at consume

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of presume was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century