supposed

adjective

sup·posed | \ sə-ˈpōzd

; senses 1b and 2a usually sə-ˈpō-zəd

, senses 3 and 4 often sə-ˈpōst

Definition of supposed

1a : pretended twelve hours are supposed to elapse between Acts I and II— W. S. Gilbert

b : alleged trusted my supposed friends

2a : 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

4a : 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

Other Words from supposed Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about supposed

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of supposed in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Part of the problem is that the supposed authenticity is projected and produced through social media platforms, which themselves are constructed upon filters, upon the idea of curation—upon a certain inauthenticity. — Hanna Kozlowska, Quartz, "Can influencers and authenticity ever be compatible?," 1 June 2019 One such outlet, BT, claim that Barcelona's recent shock exit from the Champions League could be the impetus the club needed to go all in for their supposed transfer target. — SI.com, "Danish Press Claim Barcelona UCL Exit Could Spark Summer Move for Tottenham Midfield Star," 12 Apr. 2018 But, of course, the fact that the accuser withheld the supposed information for decades, and withheld it right up to really essentially a few months ago, that's not allowed to be questioned. — Fox News, "Levin: Democrats and the judicial confirmation process," 24 Sep. 2018 The supposed toxicity of this Christmas classic is nothing more than an old wives' tale, Dr. Wismer says. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "5 Holiday Plants That Are Way More Toxic Than Poinsettias to Cats and Dogs," 14 Dec. 2018 The new initiative will essentially funnel big brands and independent sellers alike through the same back-end system in a supposed effort to improve the uniformity of the shopping experience across Amazon on the public-facing side. — Jason Del Rey, Recode, "An Amazon revolt could be brewing as the tech giant exerts more control over brands," 29 Nov. 2018 This supposed payment would have violated NCAA amateurism rules and been construed by NCAA enforcement officers as an impermissible inducement to a recruit’s parent. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Breaking Down Kevin Ollie's Case Against UConn and the University's Likely Defenses," 29 June 2018 The three supposed finalists share superior advantages that aren’t found in the other cities on Amazon’s top 20 list. — Jon Talton, The Seattle Times, "What might be behind the latest twist on Amazon’s HQ2(s)," 6 Nov. 2018 In addition to showing that Mr. Trump’s wild tactics can sometimes produce real results, the USMCA should defuse some fears about the supposed radicalism of his agenda. — Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, "Trump’s Instincts Triumph on Trade," 1 Oct. 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.