suppose

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verb sup·pose \sə-ˈpōz, usually after “I ” ˈspōz\

Definition of suppose

supposed

;

supposing

transitive verb
1a : to lay down tentatively as a hypothesis, assumption, or proposal suppose a fire broke out suppose you bring the saladb (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
2a : conceive, imagineb : to have a suspicion of
3 : presuppose
intransitive verb
: conjecture, opine

See suppose defined for English-language learners

See suppose defined for kids

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 of suppose from the Web

On Thursday, temperatures are supposed to be in the high 80s and low 90s with a heat index of 100-103 degrees.

— thomas novelly, The Courier-Journal, "To beat the heat, city lowers admission to public pools by $1," 20 July 2017
He was supposed to be in charge of the money for a booster club at a high school in Reston, Va., as the group’s treasurer.

— dana hedgpeth, Washington Post, "Volunteer arrested on charges of embezzling at least $60,000 from Va. booster club," 20 July 2017
The mission, part of a state of emergency, was supposed to be temporary.

— The Economist, "France’s top general quits, in a test for Emmanuel Macron," 20 July 2017
Before an explosion in the 1980s diverted the Red Line to Vermont Avenue, it was supposed to traverse Fairfax.

— neal broverman, Los Angeles Magazine, "4 Neighborhoods That Need a Streetcar More Than DTLA," 19 July 2017
The budget, which the government has to present to parliament by Sept. 27 and to European counterparts by mid-October, is supposed to lower the structural deficit by 0.3 percent.

— john follain, Bloomberg.com, "What You Need to Know on Political Risk in Italy: QuickTake Q&A," 18 July 2017
But the mishap could delay what was supposed to be an Aug. 3 liftoff aboard an Atlas V (five) rocket.

— marcia dunn, The Seattle Times, "NASA communications satellite damaged 3 weeks before launch," 17 July 2017
Seeking asylum is supposed to be a confidential process, yet here were people, including children, who determined that a public demonstration was necessary to ensure that CBP followed the law.

— jenna gilbert, Teen Vogue, "U.S. Border Agents May Be Illegally Blocking Asylum Seekers From Crossing the Border," 17 July 2017
This, of course, is what sanctions are supposed to do.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "These Russian Sanctions Are a No-Brainer. What Is Paul Ryan Waiting for?," 14 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of suppose

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

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First Known Use: 14th century

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SUPPOSE Defined for English Language Learners

suppose

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verb

Definition of suppose for English Language Learners

: to think of (something) as happening or being true in order to imagine what might happen
: to believe (something) to be true
: to believe (something) to be possible

SUPPOSE Defined for Kids

suppose

play

verb sup·pose \sə-ˈpōz\

Definition of suppose for Students

supposed

;

supposing

1 : to think of as true or as a fact for the sake of argument Let's suppose you won.
2 : believe 2, think I suppose that's true.
3 : ¹guess 1 Who do you suppose won?