as in theories
something taken as being true or factual and used as a starting point for a course of action or reasoning
the widespread assumption that violent entertainment leads to violent behavior in children your argument is faulty because it's based on erroneous assumptions
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Recent Examples of assumptions
California’s High-Speed Rail Authority says about $4 billion in federal funding was removed from its budget assumptions in late 2025, leaving federal funding at less than 10% of total program costs.
—
Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
Ricketts has minor quibbles with some of the assumptions behind these projections.
—Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 6 May 2026
Rather than relying solely on observations, researchers can now experiment within detailed virtual universes — adjusting physical assumptions, testing predictions and uncovering patterns that might otherwise remain hidden.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 6 May 2026
In that silence, the analysis can cease measuring the universe, instead misleading you by merely echoing your starting assumptions.
—Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
The exact results varied with each simulation and with a range of assumptions about emissions from diesel generators.
—Peter Adams, The Conversation, 6 May 2026
This freedom from conventional assumptions was, for me, both the draw of debate and its abiding lesson.
—Eli Durst, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
For CFOs, the Spirit story may be less a travel-industry drama than a case study in what happens when a capital-intensive business loses the assumptions that made its model work.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 4 May 2026
But for this period of time, there were assumptions that were getting made that were not foolhardy, completely.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 4 May 2026
Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
Ricketts has minor quibbles with some of the assumptions behind these projections.
—Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 6 May 2026
Rather than relying solely on observations, researchers can now experiment within detailed virtual universes — adjusting physical assumptions, testing predictions and uncovering patterns that might otherwise remain hidden.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 6 May 2026
In that silence, the analysis can cease measuring the universe, instead misleading you by merely echoing your starting assumptions.
—Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
The exact results varied with each simulation and with a range of assumptions about emissions from diesel generators.
—Peter Adams, The Conversation, 6 May 2026
This freedom from conventional assumptions was, for me, both the draw of debate and its abiding lesson.
—Eli Durst, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
For CFOs, the Spirit story may be less a travel-industry drama than a case study in what happens when a capital-intensive business loses the assumptions that made its model work.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 4 May 2026
But for this period of time, there were assumptions that were getting made that were not foolhardy, completely.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assumptions
Noun
-
This possibility has not been one of the most prevalent theories about the case.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
1 May 2026
-
Such theories reflect a misunderstanding of Iran’s complex system and do little to advance American diplomatic aims.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Ensure your home is securely locked when vacating the premises.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Ensure your home is securely locked when vacating the premises.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
To test these hypotheses, a team from Columbia and Harvard decided to see if they could get rid of one of the 20 currently in use.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2026
-
What is emerging is a picture of an artist of profound mathematical acuity, who mobilized geometric, sequential, and modular forms to test hypotheses on interrelation, regeneration, and evolution in pursuit of mystical revelation.—
Katherine Rochester,
Artforum,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Your beliefs become your biology by way of behavior.—
Terry Ward,
CNN Money,
4 May 2026
-
Their beliefs are not vindictive; they are considered.—
Chris McKenna,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Ruben does little to dissuade Niall’s presumptions.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
21 Apr. 2026
-
This notion was based on outdated presumptions of hillforts as being occupied by violent, prehistoric savages.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Another postulates that sleep removes waste from the brain.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The past eight months have exposed both suppositions.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
As Jackie herself once reminded John, a Kennedy has no choice but to accept that the press and public will speculate, interpret, exaggerate, and invent notions about them based on their own suppositions.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Assumptions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assumptions. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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