1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

assuming 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of assumingnext
as in wary

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

assuming

2 of 2

verb

present participle of assume
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

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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of assuming
Verb
To avoid another situation like this, ESPN should stop assuming our intentions are poor and do a better job keeping sensitive information concealed. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026 Give ‘Gals a big shot in this GOTW-caliber matchup assuming QB Joe Burrow (back) plays as expected. — Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026 Shipping is planned to begin in January 2027, assuming the Kickstarter campaign is successful. — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2026 Choose your section based on local advice rather than assuming that any village-to-village walk will be gentle. — Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Sep. 2026 Adam Abdalla, the firm’s founder and most visible figure, will transition to a new role, with senior vice president Marcella Zimmerman assuming public-facing affairs. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 17 Sep. 2026 Looking ahead, Monica Veiga will expand her role as EVP, TV Distribution, North America, assuming responsibility for the entire North American distribution business following Flory’s departure. — Michael Schneider, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026 For investors, the takeaway is to remain cautious without assuming the entire market will struggle for as long as the Fed is raising rates. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026 Ten dollars an hour equates to just under $21,000 annually, assuming a standard 40-hour work week throughout the year. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assuming
  1. wary
  2. accepting
  3. saying
  4. guessing
  5. pretending
  6. employing
  7. critical
  8. shouldering
Adjective
  • Democrats’ wary optimism about the midterms gave way to growing confidence this week.
    — Dan Merica, Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2026
  • However, immigrant rights advocates are skeptical about this claim and wary about the lack of oversight of ICE agents.
    — J. Toby Reiner, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of wary
Verb
  • The Big Ten’s explanation is unlikely to satisfy everyone, even if the MAC released a statement accepting it.
    — Manny Navarro, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Investigators also found Chavez-DeRemer did not report the tickets, valued at approximately $100 a piece, as she was required to do, despite having completed ethics training explaining government policy on accepting gifts.
    — Andrea Hsu, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of accepting
Verb
  • The lingerers brought their dirty dishes to the bus tub, wiped their mouths one last time with a napkin, and waved to Cleo, their faces saying, Nice job!
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The president responded by saying his administration wouldn't spend the $257 million appropriated by Congress on renovating the building unless the building also bears his name.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of saying
Verb
  • Director Chloe Okuno builds an atmosphere of dread, keeps the audience guessing and subtly underlines the film’s message about gaslighting and misogyny.
    — David Faris, TheWeek, 14 Sep. 2026
  • One payment beats guessing whether a message is safe to click, reply to, or pay through.
    — StackCommerce Team, PC Magazine, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of guessing
Verb
  • The surviving witness fell to the floor, pretending to be dead, and called 911 once Lee left the store.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Members of these networks share detailed guides on how to identify vulnerable girls online and groom them by pretending to have a romantic interest or be a supportive friend.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of pretending
Verb
  • The aircraft’s multi-role design also gives commanders greater flexibility in employing it for different missions rather than limiting it to the traditional air-superiority role associated with earlier Eagle variants.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Almost all of the gains came from big business, with companies employing 500 or more workers adding 34,000 while those with fewer than 50 employees rose by 3,000.
    — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of employing
Adjective
  • That makes the vehicle’s capacitors, batteries, and power electronics critical.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Sep. 2026
  • President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Ukraine is ready to halt its strikes on Russian territory if allies can secure a genuine Russian commitment not to hit Ukraine's critical infrastructure.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of critical
Verb
  • Meanwhile, Miller had his lowest points output (53) in the last five years and worst points-per-game average in the last seven while shouldering the burden of his new captain responsibilities.
    — Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Agache said that the fundraiser was created so the couple could focus on grieving their daughter and honoring her life without shouldering all of the financial costs that followed her unexpected death.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of shouldering

Browse Nearby Words

assumes
assuming
assumption
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Assuming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assuming. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All