presume

See also:présuméandprésume

English

Alternative forms

• præsume(archaic)

Etymology

FromMiddle Englishpresumen,fromAnglo-Normanpresumerand its source,Latinpraesūmere(“to take beforehand, anticipate”),fromprae-+sūmere(“to take”).

Pronunciation

• (UK)IPA^(key):/pɹɪˈzjuːm/

• Audio(UK):

  (file)

• (US)IPA^(key):/pɹiˈz(j)um/,/pɹəˈz(j)um/

• Audio(US):

  (file)

• (General Australian)IPA^(key):/pɹɪˈzjʉːm/,/pɹɪˈʒʉːm/
• (New Zealand)IPA^(key):/pɹɘˈzjʉːm/,/pɹɘˈʒʉːm/
• Rhymes:-uːm

Verb

presume(third-person singular simple presentpresumes,present participlepresuming,simple past and past participlepresumed)

1. (transitive)With infinitive object: to be sopresumptuousas (to do something) without proper authority or permission.[from 14th c.]

   I wouldn'tpresumeto tell him how to do his job.

   • 1982August 21, Sylvia Barren, “Women and the IGA: A History of Struggle”, inGay Community News,volume10,number 6, page 3:

     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 notpresumeto formulate aims for them but would adjust the organization if and when women joined it.

2. (transitive,nowrare)Toperform,do(something) without authority; tolay claimto without permission.[from 14th c.]

   Don't make the decision yourself andpresumetoo much.

3. (transitive)Toassumeorsuggestto betrue(withoutproof); to take for granted, tosuppose.[from 14th c.]

   Paw-prints in the snow allow us topresumea visit from next door's cat.

   Dr. Livingstone, Ipresume?

4. (transitive)To take as apremise;to assumefor the sake of argument.
   • 2011February 5, John Patterson,The Guardian:

     If wepresumethat 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.

5. (intransitive)To impose (on) for one's advantage; to bepresumptuous;withon,upon,to take advantage (of), to take liberties (with).[from 15th c.]

   Thanks, but I can't accept the money; I would not want topresumeon the generosity of a stranger.

   • 1609,William Shakespeare,“Sonnet 22”,inShake-speares Sonnets.[…],London: ByG[eorge] EldforT[homas] T[horpe]and are to be sold byWilliam Aspley,→OCLC:

     Presumenot on thy heart when mine is slain;
     Thou gavest me thine, not to give back again.

   • 1815,Jane Austen,Emma,volume II, chapter 15:

     Emma was not required, by any subsequent discovery, to retract her ill opinion of Mrs. Elton. Her observation had been pretty correct. Such as Mrs. Elton appeared to her on this second interview, such she appeared whenever they met again,—self-important,presuming,familiar, ignorant, and ill-bred.

   • 1994,Nelson Mandela,Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela,London:Abacus,published2010,page75:

     Piliso then vented his anger on us, accusing us of lying to him. He said we hadpresumedon his hospitality and the good name of the regent.

Synonyms

• (to assume to be true):seeThesaurus:suppose

Related terms

• presumption
• presumptive
• presumptuous

Translations

to assume to be true, suppose

• Basque:uste izan
• Bulgarian:предполагам(bg)(predpolagam)
• Catalan:presumir(ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin:Giả thiết／Giả thiết(zh)(jiǎshè),Giả định(zh)(jiǎdìng),Phỏng đoán／Phỏng đoán(zh)(tuīcè)

• Dutch:veronderstellen(nl)
• Esperanto:supozi(eo)
• Finnish:otaksua(fi)
• French:présumer(fr),supposer(fr)
• German:annehmen(de),mutmaßen(de),vermuten(de)
• Greek:υποθέτω(el)(ypothéto)
• Hungarian:feltételez(hu)
• Italian:presumere(it)
• Japanese:Đề cử する(ja)(すいていする, suitei suru),Phỏng đoán する(ja)(すいそくする, suisoku suru)
• Korean:거장( giả định )하다(geojanghada)
• Latin:praesūmō
• Maori:whakahira
• Persian:فرض کردن(phát)(farz kardan)
• Polish:przypuszczać(pl)
• Portuguese:presumir(pt),pressupor(pt)
• Romanian:presupune(ro)
• Russian:предполага́ть(ru)impf(predpolagátʹ),предположи́ть(ru)pf(predpoložítʹ)
• Swahili:waza,dhania,kisia
• Swedish:förmoda(sv),förutsätta(sv)
• Ukrainian:припускати(prypuskaty)
• Urdu:فرض کرنا(farẓ karnā)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch:^{(pleaseverify)}aannemen(nl);^{(pleaseverify)}veronderstellen(nl)

Anagrams

• Supreme,eusperm,supreme,suprême

Italian

Verb

presume

1. third-personsingularpresentindicativeofpresumere

Anagrams

• supreme

Portuguese

Verb

presume

1. inflection ofpresumir:
   1. third-personsingularpresentindicative
   2. second-personsingularimperative

Spanish

Verb

presume

1. inflection ofpresumir:
   1. third-personsingularpresentindicative
   2. second-personsingularimperative