suppose
VerbOpen English WordNet
Verb (5)supposed, supposing
- express a supposition“Let us say that he did not tell the truth”“Let's say you had a lot of money — what would you do?”Synonyms: sayMore general speculate
- expect, believe, or suppose“I imagine she earned a lot of money with her new novel”“I thought to find her in a bad state”“he didn't think to find her in the kitchen”“I guess she is angry at me for standing her up”Synonyms: thinkopineimaginereckonguessMore general expect, anticipateMore specific suspect, straddle
- to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds“Scientists supposed that large dinosaurs lived in swamps”Synonyms: speculatetheorizetheoriseconjecturehypothesizehypothesisehypothecateMore general expect, anticipateMore specific explicate, reconstruct
- take for granted or as a given; suppose beforehand“I presuppose that you have done your work”Synonyms: presupposeMore general assume, presumeMore specific postulate, premise
- require as a necessary antecedent or precondition“This step presupposes two prior ones”Synonyms: presupposeMore general imply
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Translations
Verb to assume, think likely
- Spanish
- suponer
- French
- supposer
- German
- annehmen
- Italian
- supporre
- Portuguese
- supor
- Turkish
- zannetmek
- Russian
- предполага́ть predpolagátʹ
- Arabic
- اِفْتَرَضَ iftaraḍa
- Chinese
- 认为 rènwéi
- Dutch
- veronderstellen
17 more languages
Verb to hypothesise, assume for argument
- Spanish
- suponer
- French
- supposer
- German
- vermuten
- Italian
- supporre
- Portuguese
- supor
- Russian
- полага́ть polagátʹ
- Arabic
- اِفْتَرَضَ iftaraḍa
- Chinese
- 假定 jiǎdìng
- Dutch
- vermoeden
- Polish
- przypuszczać
13 more languages
- Swedish
- anta
- Greek
- υποθέτω ypothéto
- Vietnamese
- cho rằng
- Hungarian
- feltételez
- Portuguese (PT)
- supor
- Chinese (Trad.)
- 假定 jiǎdìng
- Catalan
- suposar
- Czech
- předpokládat
- Finnish
- otaksua
- Hebrew
- הניח heníakh
- Romanian
- presupune
- Scottish Gaelic
- smaoinich
- Serbo-Croatian
- pretpostaviti
The main translation for each meaning, from the langtolang.com multilingual dictionary. Each word links to its full entry there.
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: F. supposer; pref. sub- under + poser to place; — corresponding in meaning to L. supponere, suppositum, to put under, to substitute, falsify, counterfeit. See Pose.
1. To represent to one's self, or state to another, not as true or real, but as if so, and with a view to some consequence or application which the reality would involve or admit of; to imagine or admit to exist, for the sake of argument or illustration; to assume to be true; as, let us suppose the earth to be the center of the system, what would be the result?
Suppose they take offence without a cause.— William Shakespeare
When we have as great assurance that a thing is, as we could possibly, supposing it were, we ought not to make any doubt of its existence.— John Tilllotson
2. To imagine; to believe; to receive as true.
How easy is a bush supposed a bear!— William Shakespeare
Let not my lord suppose that they have slain all the young men, the king's sons; for Amnon only is dead.— 2 Sam. xiii. 32.
3. To require to exist or to be true; to imply by the laws of thought or of nature; as, purpose supposes foresight.
One falsehood always supposes another, and renders all you can say suspected.— Female Quixote. 1752
4. To put by fraud in the place of another. obsolete
Synonyms: To imagine; believe; conclude; judge; consider; view; regard; conjecture; assume.
To make supposition; to think; to be of opinion. Acts ii. 15.
Supposition. obsolete William Shakespeare “A base suppose that he is honest.” John Dryden
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54