postulate 1 of 2

Definition of postulatenext
as in assumption
something taken as being true or factual and used as a starting point for a course of action or reasoning one of the postulates that the true agnostic rejects is the assumption that it is even possible for us to know whether God exists

Synonyms & Similar Words

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postulate

2 of 2

verb

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 postulate
Noun
The reason, the authors of a new study postulate, has to do with light pollution. New Atlas, 21 Aug. 2025 Now, tangible results have emerged in a field replete with postulates and presumptions. Jenna Ahart, Quanta Magazine, 2 July 2025
Verb
Fluorescence microscopy—a biologist’s window into the cell—had hit the diffraction limit of about 200 nanometers (or roughly half the wavelength of visible light), which had been postulated a century earlier by physicist Ernst Abbe. IEEE Spectrum, 13 Dec. 2025 Gordon Moore, a chip expert and co-founder of Intel, postulated that the number of transistors on microchips would double every 24 months or so thanks to advances in miniaturization technology. John Ruwitch, NPR, 4 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for postulate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for postulate
Noun
  • The relief will be reviewed monthly, raising questions about how long Pretoria can absorb external pressures without reopening budget assumptions.
    Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
  • The entire fiscal architecture of the developed world rests on the assumption that capital creates jobs and workers fund the lion's share of the state.
    Ravi Kumar S, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • After Queta turned in another standout performance in Sunday’s 115-101 win over the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden, Brown stumped for the breakout big man, saying, unprompted, that Queta deserves award consideration.
    Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Some of the largest insurers in the world are creating data center specific avenues to manage the projects, Gallagher’s Harper said.
    April Roach, CNBC, 6 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • One theory is that ultraviolet radiation from the sun may have been the key.
    Jerome Groopman, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Priscilla Wald, who teaches about science fiction at Duke University, has a theory as to why.
    ABC News, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • By the time Szeemann was invited to organize two consecutive installments of the Venice Biennale (in 1999 and 2001), the criticism of curators’ assuming the role of meta-artists, in Szeemann’s case with quasi-shamanistic aspirations, had become a commonplace.
    Daniel Birnbaum, Artforum, 2 Apr. 2026
  • And assume that any unexpected message about your Social Security number deserves a second look.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • 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
  • His method of intellectual humility is to admit ignorance, test variables and revise working hypotheses based on new data, staying open to suggestions from others the whole time.
    Deana L. Weibel, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Our list is filled with PGA Tour stalwarts, LIV Golf superstars and enough up-and-comers to make the novice fan think twice before automatically presuming this title will end up with one of the usual suspects.
    Jason Sobel, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
  • Law enforcement officers presume that the child, who lived in Everman, is dead.
    Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • This was believed to be the first time in baseball history a player has robbed three homers in one game.
    ABC News, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Police said it was believed the driver initiated the right turn and hit the bicyclist, a 69-year-old man from Joliet, believed to have been traveling eastbound on the sidewalk on the south side of West Jefferson Street and had entered the roadway to cross Springfield Avenue.
    Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Because the Cambrian fossil record preserves so much animal diversity, scientists have long hypothesized that complex animal life didn’t yet exist during the Ediacaran.
    Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Older respondents tended to experience more euphoria than younger ones, which the authors hypothesized could be related to better access to resources like health care.
    Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 31 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Postulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/postulate. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.

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