presume
/pɹɪˈz(j)um/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.62 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To be so presumptuous as (to do something) without proper authority or permission [with to (+ infinitive)].
Transitive verb
verb
To perform, do (something) without authority; to lay claim to without permission.
Archaic; Transitive verb
verb
To assume or suggest to be true (without proof); to take for granted, to suppose.
Transitive verb
verb
To impose (on) for one's advantage; to be presumptuous; to take advantage (of); to take liberties (with) [with on or upon].
Intransitive verb
Example Sentences
- "I don't want to pretend to be an authority on this line of business, so I would never presume to tell you how to run your own company."
- "There were no women at the birth of the International Gay Association in Coventry, England in 1978. The men there decided they would like lesbians to join; they would not presume to formulate aims for them but would adjust the organization if and when women joined it."
- "Don't make the decision yourself and presume too much."
- "Paw-prints in the snow allow us to presume a visit from next door's cat."
- "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"
- "If we presume that human cloning may one day become a mundane, everyday reality, then maybe it's time to start thinking more positively about our soon-to-arrive genetically engineered pseudo-siblings."
Etymology
From Middle English presumen, from Anglo-Norman presumer and its source, Latin praesūmere (“to take beforehand, anticipate”), from prae- + sūmere (“to take”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /pɹɪˈz(j)um/
- British English: /pɹɪˈzjuːm/