1
as in accepting
to take to or upon oneself
we promised to assume responsibility for any damage to the flower beds caused by the volleyball game in the backyard
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in saying
to take as true or as a fact without actual proof
everyone assumed, wrongly, that someone else was bringing dessert
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in guessing
to form an opinion from little or no evidence
as I just assumed it was too late to go out, I didn't think to ask
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in pretending
to present a false appearance of
she assumed an air of nonchalance even though she was wildly ecstatic she was going on the date
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in employing
to provide with a paying job
assumed as partner by the prestigious law firm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in wary
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of assuming
Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Allen has to find a way to beat Patrick Mahomes or, more to the point, the Bills have to find a way to beat the Chiefs — assuming Kansas City recovers from its 0-2 start.
—Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Common mistakes include pulling the measuring tape too tightly, leaving it too loose, or assuming your belly button marks the correct waistline.
—Heidi Cope, Health, 15 Sep. 2025
In the aftermath of the killing, many Republicans and conservative commentators called for a sweeping crackdown on leftwing groups—assuming that the perpetrator would likely be someone from the opposite side of the political spectrum as Kirk.
—Richard Hall, Time, 14 Sep. 2025
Free as a Bird albums — with Davies assuming the lead vocals and songwriting by himself.
—David Chiu, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
The other half of the Fed mandate is to fight inflation—and that’s why some economists are still saying that a 25% cut isn’t as guaranteed as the equity markets are assuming.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
The series' latest show aired July 31 with Desi Lydic assuming hosting duties, according to Comedy Central's website.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
Officials estimate that even a smaller-scale version could take up to a decade to design and build, assuming no delays in environmental review, permitting, or funding.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
At the current high multiple, that translates to about $6–7 billion in profits, or roughly $16 billion in revenue, assuming a 40% net margin—a target consistent with long-term projections.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Allen has to find a way to beat Patrick Mahomes or, more to the point, the Bills have to find a way to beat the Chiefs — assuming Kansas City recovers from its 0-2 start.
—Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Common mistakes include pulling the measuring tape too tightly, leaving it too loose, or assuming your belly button marks the correct waistline.
—Heidi Cope, Health, 15 Sep. 2025
In the aftermath of the killing, many Republicans and conservative commentators called for a sweeping crackdown on leftwing groups—assuming that the perpetrator would likely be someone from the opposite side of the political spectrum as Kirk.
—Richard Hall, Time, 14 Sep. 2025
Free as a Bird albums — with Davies assuming the lead vocals and songwriting by himself.
—David Chiu, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
The other half of the Fed mandate is to fight inflation—and that’s why some economists are still saying that a 25% cut isn’t as guaranteed as the equity markets are assuming.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
The series' latest show aired July 31 with Desi Lydic assuming hosting duties, according to Comedy Central's website.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
Officials estimate that even a smaller-scale version could take up to a decade to design and build, assuming no delays in environmental review, permitting, or funding.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assuming
Verb
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Last Week Tonight won twice and while accepting, both John Oliver and head writer Dan O’Brien speed ran their thanks.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
15 Sep. 2025
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While accepting the trophy for Outstanding Talk Series at the 2025 Emmy Awards for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the late night host acknowledged Amy Cole — a longtime colleague on his CBS show and projects before it, including Comedy Central's The Colbert Report.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The pre-authorization letters included a line saying payment was not guaranteed, but Sutton-Schulman didn’t think much of it.—
Duaa Eldeib,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
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The share of businesses saying that lack of transparency was hindering operations fell by 12 percentage points to 16%.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Bot gets 1 point for guessing in three and 1 for beating me, so 2 points x2 = 4.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Throughout the early, character-developing scenes, the filmmaker throws in nightmarish visual and aural flourishes, leaving us guessing as to their meaning.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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These issues are very real and generally speaking there are very few, if any, magic combinations of settings to cure these problems for many players, and pretending like that’s true is either disingenuous or misinformed.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Scrolling on one’s phone can be a deadening experience, but here’s someone feeling, or at least pretending to feel, a genuine feeling—even if the abundance of these videos surely numbs us further.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Russia's Influence Operations in 2016, Russia conducted extensive campaigns during the presidential election, employing fake personas, troll farms, and manipulated content to inflame racial, ideological, and cultural divisions.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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Filed on behalf of two asylum seekers detained outside the San Diego federal building’s immigration court this year, the lawsuit claims that the federal government is employing tactics that violate individuals’ due process rights.—
Alexandra Mendoza,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Other than in the Second Circuit, the federal courts of appeals generally have interpreted the Confrontation Clause to require face-to-face cross examination, and counsel should be wary of giving up that important right.—
Robert Anello,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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For decades, educators have been wary of the decline in critical thinking and its impact on undermining the very purpose of education.—
Sixteen Ramos,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Keegan Bradley is currently shouldering the immense pressure of representing American golf, a burden that will only intensify as the Ryder Cup draws near.—
Julio Cesar Valdera Morales,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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What looks like a budget saving in the near term can therefore have the opposite effect, with government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid ultimately shouldering higher costs.—
Zeynep Hasgül,
The Conversation,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Authorities are now presuming Emmanuel is dead, according to officials.—
Chris Spargo,
People.com,
26 Aug. 2025
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The value is not in substituting one expert for another, or in outsourcing fully to the machine, or indeed in presuming the human expertise will always be superior, but in leveraging human and rapidly-evolving machine capabilities to achieve best results.—
David Autor,
The Atlantic,
24 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Assuming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assuming. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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