supposed

adjective

sup·​posed sə-ˈpōzd How to pronounce supposed (audio)
senses 1b and 2a usually
sə-ˈpō-zəd How to pronounce supposed (audio)
senses 3 and 4 often
sə-ˈpōst How to pronounce supposed (audio)
1
a
: pretended
twelve hours are supposed to elapse between Acts I and IIW. 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 aspectsJ. C. Murray
c
: understood
you will be supposed to refer to my grandauntG. 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

Examples of supposed in a Sentence

this new computer program is a supposed improvement over the old one
Recent Examples on the Web In one Colonial Revival home from 1905, a supposed fix included unpainted boards laid atop of rotted boards. Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2024 Such accusations about America’s supposed abusive treatment of Nazis became a right-wing trope. Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2024 The agent assigned him the middle seat next to his supposed colleague, who had the window. Michael S. Rosenwald, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024 While Biden is investing in programs for ordinary Americans, Trump, a supposed billionaire, is taking campaign money from ordinary Americans to pay his legal expenses. Tom Zirpoli, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2024 Since then, my supposed friend hasn’t contacted me. Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2024 This is a team that only scored 17 points in the AFC title game, with supposed star running back Isiah Pacheco averaging 2.8 yards per carry. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2024 Ahead of the midterm elections in 2022, groups on platforms like Telegram, WhatsApp and Truth Social engaged in a hunt for election fraud, winning points or honorary titles for producing supposed evidence of voter malfeasance. Tiffany Hsu, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2024 And Iran has done little to assist its supposed ally, even though Hamas dealt Israel its greatest defeat in half a century. Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 25 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'supposed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of supposed was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near supposed

Cite this Entry

“Supposed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supposed. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

supposed

adjective
sup·​posed sə-ˈpōzd How to pronounce supposed (audio)
sense 1 usually
-ˈpō-zəd How to pronounce supposed (audio)
senses 2 & 3 often
-ˈpōst How to pronounce supposed (audio)
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 How to pronounce supposed (audio)
 also  -ˈpōz-dlē
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on supposed

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