premise

1 something taken as being true or factual and used as a starting point for a course of action or reasoning your conclusion is all wrong because you started out with a false premise Synonyms given, hypothetical, if, postulate, assumption (also premiss), presumption, presupposition, suppositionRelated Words hypothesis, proposition, theory, thesis; axiom, truism, verity; belief, canon, doctrine, dogma, gospel, law; precept, principle, rule, standard, tenet; basis, foundation, ground; conclusion, deduction, inference; affirmation, assertion, avouchment, declaration; dictum, ipse dixit

2 premises pl  the area around and belonging to a building detectives painstakingly searched the premises for clues to the disappearance Synonyms demesne, park, premises (also premisses), yardRelated Words acres, estate, land, lot, parcel, plot, property, real estate, realty; campus; backyard, churchyard, dooryard, schoolyard; close, enclosure (also inclosure), garden, garth, plaza

to take as true or as a fact without actual proof let us premise certain things, such as every person's need for love, before beginning our line of reasoning Synonyms hypothecate, hypothesize, postulate, assume, presume, presuppose, say, supposeRelated Words accept, believe, credit, swallow; conclude, deduce, gather, infer, judge, take; conjecture, figure, guess, reckon [chiefly dialect], surmise, suspect, suspicion [chiefly dialect], think; conceive, dream, fancy, imagine, perceive, preconceive; speculate, theorize; affirm, allege, assert, aver, avouch, avow, claim, contend, declare, insist, maintain, professNear Antonyms challenge, controvert, disagree (with), disbelieve, discount, discredit, dispute, distrust, doubt, mistrust, question, wonder (about); deny, disavow, disclaim, disown, reject, repudiate; belie, confute, disprove, rebut, refute