assumptionas‧sump‧tion /əˈsʌmpʃən/ ●●○ W2 AWL noun 
A lot of people make the assumption that poverty only exists in the Third World. My calculations were based on the assumption that house prices would remain steady.assumption about People make a lot of assumptions about me.2[uncountable] formal when someone starts to have control or powerassumption of the assumption of responsibilityCOLLOCATIONSverbsmake an assumption· You’re making a lot of assumptions for which you have no proof.be based on/rest on an assumption· Our plans were based on the assumption that everyone would be willing to help.work on an assumption (=act according to something that may not be true)· The police seemed to be working on the assumption that he was guilty.adjectivesa reasonable/valid assumption· This seemed like a reasonable assumption.a common/general/widespread assumption· There’s a common assumption that science is more difficult than other subjects.a basic/fundamental/underlying assumption· There is a basic assumption in international law that a state will protect its citizens.a correct assumption· Many people acted on the correct assumption that interest rates would rise.a wrong/false/mistaken assumption· Both theories are based on a single wrong assumption.an underlying assumption (=a belief that is used as the basis for an idea, but which may not be correct)· There seems to be an underlying assumption in what he says that women are weaker than men.a tacit/unspoken assumption (=one that no one says aloud)· There seemed to be a tacit assumption that they would get married.a questionable assumption (=one that is likely to be wrong)· That assumption was obviously highly questionable.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- At that time we had to make the assumption that the disease was spreading and take action to stop it.
- Eden acted on the assumption that his allies would support him.
- Yes the Socialists will probably win -- that seems a fair assumption.
- Any decisions made about allocations are not value-free but are now based on the original assumptions about the weightings.
- Here we see that Bourdieu criticizes structuralism for its assumptions, not of too little, but of too much scientific objectivity.
- It is clear that Dworkin does make this assumption.
- Questions to be explored include: How large is the gap between policy assumptions and social reality?
- The report also notes the confused assumptions that governed the relationship between Kimmel and Short.
- We also need to make assumptions about the knowledge of the people with whom we are interacting.
- When historians and anthropologists first began to investigate the issue of pre-patriarchal cultures they made two assumptions.
Longman Language Activatorto think that something is true, but not be sure
to think something is true, but you are not completely sure. Believe is more formal than think: think/believe (that): · I think Jill moved to the new house last week.· "Is it painted?" "No, I think it's a mosaic."I think so/I believe so (=say this to answer "yes" to a questions when you are fairly sure that something is true): · "Has James gone home?" "Yes, I think so."
to think that something is true, although you have no proof: · You shouldn't just assume things without getting all the facts.assume (that): · I just assumed that the woman standing next to Jack was his wife.· We assume that other industrialized nations are going to help with money for food and other supplies.we can safely assume (=it is reasonably certain): · I think we can safely assume that the practice is legal.
something that you think is true although you have no proof: · Yes the Socialists will probably win -- that seems a fair assumption.make the assumption that: · At that time we had to make the assumption that the disease was spreading and take action to stop it.on the assumption that: · Eden acted on the assumption that his allies would support him.
to wrongly believe that something is true, because of something you have heard or seen: · I was under the impression that you couldn't get a parking ticket on private property.be under the mistaken impression (that): · The average American is under the mistaken impression that wildlife refuges have been set up to protect animals.
to think that something is probably true, especially something bad: suspect (that): · I suspect that he never really loved her.· No one suspected anything was wrong.as somebody suspected: · As we suspected, there is a problem with the braking system, and it will be replaced.
to feel sure that something is true because of information that you have, although there is always some possibility that you are wrong: believe (that): · Police believe that the money was stolen by a gang of youths.believe somebody to be capable/honest/a fool etc: · I had always believed Catherine to be absolutely honest in money matters.firmly believe: · Both sides firmly believe that a peace settlement is now possible.
to be fairly sure of something, especially because you have a good reason to think so, although you have no proof: presume (that): · The committee presumed that its decisions would be carried out.presume somebody/something to be somebody/something: · Many scientists presumed the new damage to the forests to be the result of higher levels of pollution.be presumed innocent/dead/responsible etc: · The defendant is presumed innocent until proved guilty.
if you say something presumably is a fact, you think it must be true because of the information you have: · Several of the villagers disappeared, presumably killed by enemy soldiers.· The audience hears the word so many times during the play that presumably they learn what it means if they didn't already know.
to think that something is probably true, especially because of some information you have - use this in written or formal contexts: suppose (that): · We have no reason to suppose that the girl is dead.· There are many reasons to suppose that Shakespeare was familiar with the stories of medieval Italy.
to be sure that something is true without ever asking yourself whether you are right or not: · I never asked if she was single - I just took it for granted.take it for granted (that): · I took if for granted that Steven would still be working for us when the new project started.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYverbs Viewpoints such as these are strongly challenged by environmentalists. false assumptions about people of other cultures Her words contained an implicit threat.
· You’re making a lot of assumptions for which you have no proof.
· Our plans were based on the assumption that everyone would be willing to help.
(=act according to something that may not be true)· The police seemed to be working on the assumption that he was guilty.
adjectives· This seemed like a reasonable assumption.
· There’s a common assumption that science is more difficult than other subjects.
· There is a basic assumption in international law that a state will protect its citizens.
· Many people acted on the correct assumption that interest rates would rise.
· Both theories are based on a single wrong assumption.
(=a belief that is used as the basis for an idea, but which may not be correct)· There seems to be an underlying assumption in what he says that women are weaker than men.
(=one that no one says aloud)· There seemed to be a tacit assumption that they would get married.
(=one that is likely to be wrong)· That assumption was obviously highly questionable.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Viewpoints such as these are strongly challenged by environmentalists. false assumptions about people of other cultures Her words contained an implicit threat.· It is a reasonable assumption that he pressed the wrong button.
· There is an underlying assumption that new technology is always a good thing.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· It was easy to see what their basic assumption was.· Like the stomach surgeon, a psychiatrist can make all sorts of basic assumptions when a patient lies down on the couch.· Furthermore, the pure climatic-geomorphological point of view involves two basic assumptions, which one would hesitate to make.· A basic economic assumption in a market economy is the continual adjustment of supply and demand toward an equilibrium point.· It remains one of the basic archaeological assumptions, however, that the two are linked.· A basic assumption was that they would be the experts on everything.· When a similar picture is adopted for the crystallization of a polymer certain basic assumptions are made first.· Their basic assumptions are very clear.
· The majority of the procedures themselves and of the theoretical results describing their properties rest on certain assumptions.· In developing our scenarios, we made certain assumptions.· Some equations, asserted in a certain context or on certain assumptions, have to do with parts of causal circumstances.· In addition, Sharpe and Lintner made certain assumptions about the nature of the market: 4.· We can measure productivity but with motivation we can only make certain assumptions that improved motivation may lead to improved performance.· This contradicts certain of the assumptions and theories which are popular in explaining patterns of inequality in employment.· When a similar picture is adopted for the crystallization of a polymer certain basic assumptions are made first.· There are certain assumptions in the study of pottery from an evolutionary perspective.
· The theories discussed below may have evolved from different assumptions, but it is still difficult to discriminate completely between them.· This is a different basic assumption than what is required for a peak performing team.· To overcome this problem many policy papers which examine population ageing produce a variety of projections using different fertility assumptions.· Rather, they embody some very different assumptions about education and work for the twenty-first century.· Both of these expressions, however, have rather different underlying assumptions.· There were, said McGregor, a different set of assumptions that were well founded in behavioral research.· Individuals from different cultures may not only contract together using different cultural assumptions, but using an entirely different legal framework.· They entail quite different assumptions about the nature of literacy than those put forward by Hildyard and Olson.
· In human terms the reasoning which had been presented to him was filled with flaws and false assumptions.· This can be shown to be a false assumption, however.· It is the irreconcilable contradiction inevitable in humanism because of its false assumptions in constructing a world-view.· There is an assumption in it, and, I contend, the assumption is false.· He should not put words in my mouth, however, or make false assumptions.· Because of these false assumptions, Labour's appeal is restricted.· But the false assumption is that everybody can be reclassified as a wealth creator.
· Second point: is the constructivist's fundamental assumption not justified if knowledge is our subject of study rather than successful behaviour?· But there is a danger that the current reforms will leave untouched fundamental assumptions about the lives and needs of service users.· However, subsequent excavations at Maiden Castle, Arikamedu and Charsadda have inevitably caused many of his fundamental assumptions to be refuted.· Is it perhaps time to re-examine some of the fundamental assumptions underlying that policy?· The fundamental assumption was that Time will always discover and avenge any act of injustice.· Although Friedmann found only one, there are in fact three different kinds of models that obey Friedmann's two fundamental assumptions.· This approach must first identify and question three fundamental assumptions on which most conservation thinking currently rests.
· This highlights the second major difficulty with the theories, the general assumption that there is a unitary dimension of arousal.· The following computations are based on both general assumptions about all families and specific assumptions about families at specific income levels.· There was a general assumption, he declared, that nothing that exists, exists without a cause.· Honest answers to these questions suggest that the general assumption that growth in one country benefits the entire world is highly dubious.
· The second aspect seems even more important: it warns against false generalisations and implicit assumptions.· However, there are in fact several implicit and unproven assumptions hidden in the account I have just given.· We begin interactions with an implicit assumption that other people determine and control their behaviour.· One part of our task is to draw attention to implicit, underlying assumptions which inform the theoretical stances adopted.· It relates to two powerful but implicit assumptions in the messages of women's magazines.· The implicit assumption is that investors can borrow and lend at the riskless rate of interest.· Sontag argued against what was in effect the differentiated mode of signification implicit in the assumptions of uptown culture.· Eventually other, initially implicit, assumptions were to be unearthed and modified.
· For the most part this is a reasonable assumption to make.· This is a reasonable simplistic assumption, but it is the best that will normally be possible.· It is a reasonable assumption that improvements can be made even to the best of schools.· Given a few reasonable assumptions about f, it is guaranteed to find a best path from the start to a goal.· The error lay in a very simple but quite reasonable assumption which everyone made.
· Both of these expressions, however, have rather different underlying assumptions.· In the classroom, cultural analysis encourages students to examine for themselves the underlying assumptions in the texts they are studying.· They have questioned the whole underlying design assumption of the private car as a throw-away product.· The underlying assumption appears to be one of integration.· We agree with the underlying assumptions of the Kingman Report and, in essentials, with its conclusions.· Conversely, activities which seem on the surface to be the same may turn out to realize different underlying assumptions.· The underlying assumption of the project is that certain computer-based experiences can help pupils bridge the gap between arithmetical and algebraic thinking.· In the methods I described as essentialist, the underlying assumptions are qualitative rather than quantitative.
VERB· As I have implied, many of Durkheim's conclusions are tautological or based upon inaccurate assumptions and evidence.· Such are the perils when one acts based on outdated assumptions.· Steady-state forecasts are always based on some assumptions about social system behaviour.· My writing is based on the assumption that the less money you spend, the more authentic your experience.· The policy may be based on an assumption that not many houses are required in the whole district.· Such a recommendation, the panel added, was of course based on the assumption that the Reclamation project was still feasible.· This criticism is based on the assumptions on which the model is based.· The simple ironic reading is based on the assumption that the high Shakespearian allusions are really inapposite.
· We rarely sit down to challenge some assumption we have always used.· They ended by challenging many of the assumptions of scientific management and establishing that work had both social and psychological dimensions.· Transnationalism and interdependence challenge the three assumptions of Realism noted by Vasquez.· In doing so, they challenge the assumptions of the modern worldview as never be-fore.· No-one challenged the assumptions which ran throughout the lecture.· The furore among providers about current government-funding policies which challenge the latter assumption suggests that this is a real danger.· Another move might have involved challenging some assumption in the protective belt such as those concerning refraction in the earth's atmosphere.· Moreover, the findings challenge conventional assumptions about the amounts of time the different subjects should be allocated.
· The distribution of taxes depends on the assumptions about the incidence, discussed below, and on the allocation series.· Therefore, the choice of method depends on which assumption is closest to reality.· The result described does however depend on strong assumptions.· Electronic commerce depends on the unspoken assumption that computers cooperate efficiently for seamless information sharing.· They depend on assumptions which have been made and on uncertain future events.· The projected totality of all conventional and nonconventional natural gas sources depends significantly on the assumptions made.· Whether such a steady state is locally stable depends on the assumptions made concerning expectations.· As results depend on the assumptions, those chosen for these examples are deliberately modest.
· These authors are right to point out that in cross sectional analyses it is difficult to make assumptions of causality.· Conservatism makes few assumptions about human nature.· However, she makes two highly questionable assumptions that must be challenged.· I was already learning not to make any assumptions about what he might or might not do.· Rather, they can act only as a guide to decision making by making the assumptions underlying the decisions explicit.· The researchers are making assumptions based on their preliminary human findings and the changes observed in animals.· But they are making the assumption that people eat.
· One must also question the assumption that single-discipline degrees are themselves immaculately unified.· Because we are still questioning the assumptions, there are no theories.· And she knew she was annoying them whenever she questioned their assumptions.· Odilon Redon questioned the universal assumption that the photographic image was a transmitter of truth.· Reworking her rich and cultural history to question Western attitudes and assumptions.· The Regional Council also questioned the assumptions on costs in the Government's paper.· There is therefore a need to question this assumption that aggression is a given element which somehow has to be accounted for.· There are at least two reasons to question the assumptions underlying such notions.
· The majority of the procedures themselves and of the theoretical results describing their properties rest on certain assumptions.· The strategic order among the major nuclear powers is fragile, however, because it rests heavily on the assumption of nonuse.· Political theory rests on the assumption that these activities are central to the functioning of a democratic society.· However, such schemes rest on the assumption that the small businessman already has an idea he wishes to develop.· But when the proof comes it also turns out to rest on the assumption that it is already true.
· It works on the assumption that each side is willing to move from its starting point during the negotiations.· Politicians seem to work on the assumption that the early bird catches the voter.· When a crime is reported to the police they do not work on the assumption that anyone could have done it.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
- Gamekeepers worked on the principle that any other animals that preyed on pheasants must be ruthlessly eliminated.
- It works on the assumption that each side is willing to move from its starting point during the negotiations.
- It works on the principle that the pursuer will not be able to change direction as efficiently as the prey.
- Politicians seem to work on the assumption that the early bird catches the voter.
- The therapy works on the principle that like cures like.
- These devices work on the principle that the oscillating frequency of a crystal under an applied voltage changes with crystal mass.
- They work on the principle that most people pay up if they're pestered for long enough.
- When a crime is reported to the police they do not work on the assumption that anyone could have done it.
WORD FAMILYnounassumptionverbassume
1[countable] something that you think is true although you have no definite proofassumption that A lot of people make the assumption that poverty only exists in the Third World. My calculations were based on the assumption that house prices would remain steady.assumption about People make a lot of assumptions about me.2[uncountable] formal when someone starts to have control or powerassumption of the assumption of responsibilityCOLLOCATIONSverbsmake an assumption· You’re making a lot of assumptions for which you have no proof.be based on/rest on an assumption· Our plans were based on the assumption that everyone would be willing to help.work on an assumption (=act according to something that may not be true)· The police seemed to be working on the assumption that he was guilty.adjectivesa reasonable/valid assumption· This seemed like a reasonable assumption.a common/general/widespread assumption· There’s a common assumption that science is more difficult than other subjects.a basic/fundamental/underlying assumption· There is a basic assumption in international law that a state will protect its citizens.a correct assumption· Many people acted on the correct assumption that interest rates would rise.a wrong/false/mistaken assumption· Both theories are based on a single wrong assumption.an underlying assumption (=a belief that is used as the basis for an idea, but which may not be correct)· There seems to be an underlying assumption in what he says that women are weaker than men.a tacit/unspoken assumption (=one that no one says aloud)· There seemed to be a tacit assumption that they would get married.a questionable assumption (=one that is likely to be wrong)· That assumption was obviously highly questionable.