supposed

adjective sup·posed \ sə-ˈpōzd ; senses 1b and 2a usually sə-ˈpō-zəd , senses 3 and 4 often sə-ˈpōst \

|Updated on: 13 Jul 2018

Examples: supposed in a Sentence

Definition of supposed

1 a : pretended

twelve hours are supposed to elapse between Acts I and II
—W. S. Gilbert

b : alleged

trusted my supposed friends

2 a : held as an opinion : believed; also : mistakenly believed : imagined

the sight which makes supposed terror true
—William Shakespeare

b : considered probable or certain : expected

it was not supposed that everybody could master the technical aspects
—J. C. Murray

c : understood

you will be supposed to refer to my grandaunt
—G. B. Shaw

3 : made or fashioned by intent or design

what's that button supposed to do

4 a : required by or as if by authority

soldiers are supposed to obey their commanding officers

b : given permission : permitted

was not supposed to have visitors

—

supposedly

play \sə-ˈpō-zəd-lē also -ˈpōzd-lē\ adverb

See supposed defined for English-language learners

See supposed defined for kids

Examples of supposed in a Sentence

this new computer program is a supposed improvement over the old one

Recent Examples of supposed from the Web

Also unconvincing is Continetti’s explanation that the main cause of this supposed collapse is immigration politics.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "The Democratic Party is on an identity quest.," 6 July 2018
But the supposed mine shaft that Yurovsky had selected for them to be dumped in turned out to be too shallow; local peasants would easily find the bodies and seek to preserve them as holy relics.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "Inside the Romanov Family's Final Days," 1 July 2018
The harder question, which is being raised more often as reforms expand in scope and geography, is whether and when the regulatory state should override parental choice for the supposed benefit of the child.

— bobby jindal, WSJ, "The Moral Logic of School Choice," 25 June 2018
In any supposed golden age of American manufacturing, plenty of workers had unpleasant, dangerous, dirty and repetitive jobs.

— james mackintosh, WSJ, "We Fight About Trade Because Politics Fails," 25 June 2018
In the space of two weeks in June, U.S. President Donald Trump first baited his supposed friends into a trade war by slapping tariffs on steel and aluminum from the European Union, Canada and other nations.

— Time, "Trump Is Trying to Dismantle the World Order. Is NATO Next on His List?," 22 June 2018
The supposed ills of gentrification—which might be more neutrally defined as poorer urban neighbourhoods becoming wealthier—lack rigorous support.

— The Economist, "In praise of gentrification," 21 June 2018
Cooper Jackson had become obsessed with avenging the supposed rape of his girlfriend.

— CBS News, "Catfishing relationship between strangers leads to the murder of an innocent Marine," 19 June 2018
Even so, the chain’s competitors -- and consumers -- didn’t take long to register their own, often humorous, takes on the supposed new name.

— Anchorage Daily News, "IHOP becomes IHOB -- and internet has way too much fun: ‘International House of Bankruptcy’?," 12 June 2018

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