presumeverb
uk/prɪˈzjuːm/us/prɪˈzuːm/presume verb (BELIEVE)
C1 [ T ] to believe something to be true because it is very likely, although you are not certain:
[ + (that) ] I presume (that) they're not coming, since they haven't replied to the invitation.
[ + speech ] You are Dr Smith, I presume?
"Are we walking to the hotel?" "I presume not/so."
[ + obj + adj ] The boat's captain is missing, presumed dead (= it is believed that he is dead).
In British law, you are presumed innocent until you are proved guilty.
[ + obj + to infinitive ] The universe is presumed to contain many other planets with some form of life.
More examples
- You were sniffing a lot - I presumed you had a cold.
- She said it in a whisper so I presumed it wasn't common knowledge.
- "Is he coming?" "I presume so."
- Under the Bill of Rights, a person is presumed innocent until proved otherwise.
- A person accused of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Guessing, supposing and suspecting
- approximate
- as much idiom
- call
- conjecture
- consider
- deem
- divine
- fall
- hypothesize
- jump
- jump to conclusions idiom
- mark
- mark sb down as sth
- misjudge
- pluck
- smell
- speculate
- surmise
- think
- think of sth/sb
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presume verb (BE RUDE)
[ I ] to do something although you know that you do not have a right to do it:
[ + to infinitive ] I wouldn't presume to tell you how to do your job, but shouldn't this piece go there?
I don't wish to presume (= make a suggestion although I have no right to), but don't you think you should apologize to her?
He presumes on her good nature (= takes unfair advantage of it).
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Rude and cheeky
- backchat
- bold
- cheeky
- chutzpah
- cocksure
- cocky
- fruity
- gobby
- impertinent
- liberty
- lippy
- mouthy
- neanderthal
- offensive
- personally
- presumptuous
- sass
- sick
- smart mouth
- unpleasant
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