supposed

adjective

sup·​posed sə-ˈpōzd 

senses 1b and 2a usually

sə-ˈpō-zəd 

senses 3 and 4 often

sə-ˈpōst 

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

Synonyms

• presumed
• apparent
• possible
• seeming
• probable
• assumed
• obvious

Examples of supposed in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Two men, Xiang Li and Bowen Zhou, are accused of stalking the family over a supposed debt, leading to a shooting at the family’s home, according to the FBI. —Miami Herald, 4 July 2025

While getting ready for a wedding, a teacher named Todd (Mr. T to his students) is strangled to death by a supposed chauffeur, who assumes his identity with the help of facial prosthetics and a fake glass eye to match Todd’s real one. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 July 2025

The upcoming installment will continue following the vigilantes' quest to expose supposed heroes like Homelander for abusing their power. —Liza Esquibias, People.com, 2 July 2025

But Zara, his supposed friend, told him that was just how 3A operated, and Kevin felt safe wiring funds to accounts at Chase because of its size and reputation. —Cezary Podkul, ProPublica, 25 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing supposed

• be supposed to
• what's that supposed to mean

Rhymes for supposed

• decomposed
• discomposed
• indisposed
• interposed
• juxtaposed
• predisposed
• presupposed
• reimposed
• superposed
• undisclosed
• undisposed
• unenclosed

Kids Definition

supposed

adjective

sup·​posed sə-ˈpōzd 

sense 1 usually

-ˈpō-zəd 

senses 2 & 3 often

-ˈpōst 

1

: believed to be true or real

a supposed cure

2

: considered probable or certain : expected

they are supposed to be here tomorrow

3

: required by or as if by authority

you are supposed to listen to your parents

supposedly

-ˈpō-zəd-lē 

 also  -ˈpōz-dlē

adverb