presumed dead
idiom
: believed to be dead
After the earthquake several people were missing and presumed dead.
Examples of presumed dead in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Though her character was presumed dead, she was revealed to have entered witness protection; Jodi was written out of the show following this development in Season 7 and returned for a guest appearance in the series finale.
—
Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 15 Dec. 2025
In California, prosecutors can charge a person with murder when no body has been found if the victim is presumed dead.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Dec. 2025
With both of them presumed dead, the couple escapes to a desert land beyond Oz.
—Patrick Gomez, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Nov. 2025
But officials have lost contact with Joe’s spacecraft, and the entire crew is presumed dead.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for presumed dead
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 15 Dec. 2025
In California, prosecutors can charge a person with murder when no body has been found if the victim is presumed dead.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Dec. 2025
With both of them presumed dead, the couple escapes to a desert land beyond Oz.
—Patrick Gomez, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Nov. 2025
But officials have lost contact with Joe’s spacecraft, and the entire crew is presumed dead.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for presumed dead
Cite this Entry
“Presumed dead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/presumed%20dead. Accessed 21 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share