presume

English

Alternative forms

• præsume (archaic)

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman presumer, Middle French presumer, and their source, Latin praesūmere (“to take beforehand, anticipate”), from prae- + sūmere (“to take”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

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

Verb

presume (third-person singular simple present presumes, present participle presuming, simple past and past participle presumed)

1. (transitive, now rare) To perform, do (something) without authority; to lay claim to without permission. [from 14th c.]

   Don't make the decision yourself and presume too much.

2. (transitive) With infinitive object: to be so presumptuous as (to do something) without proper authority or permission. [from 14th c.]

   I wouldn't presume to tell him how to do his job.

3. (transitive) To assume to be true (without proof); to take for granted, to suppose. [from 14th c.]
   • 2011, John Patterson, The Guardian, 5 Feb 2011:

     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.

4. (intransitive) To be presumptuous; with on, upon, to take advantage (of), to take liberties (with). [from 15th c.]
   • 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Abacus 2010, p. 75:

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

Quotations

• Paw prints in the snow presume a visit from next door's cat.
• Dr. Livingstone, I presume?

Synonyms

• overhope

Derived terms

• presumed perpetrator

Related terms

• presumption
• presumptive
• presumptuous

Translations

to assume to be true, suppose

• Basque: uste izan
• Esperanto: supozi (eo)
• Finnish: otaksua (fi)
• German: annehmen (de), mutmaßen (de), vermuten (de)
• Hungarian: feltételez (hu)
• Japanese: 推定する(すいていする, suitei-suru) (trans. 1.)

• Korean: 거장하다 (假定~, geonjang-hada)
• Maori: whakahira
• Persian: فرض کردن (fa)
• Polish: przypuszczać (pl)
• Romanian: presupune (ro)
• Swedish: förmoda (sv), förutsätta (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: présumer; supposer que; faire preuve de; prendre des libertés (avec quelqu'un).

• Dutch: aannemen; veronderstellen

Anagrams

• supreme, Supreme

---

Italian

Verb

presume

1. third-person singular indicative present of presumere

Anagrams

• supreme

---

Portuguese

Verb

presume

1. third-person singular present indicative of presumir
2. second-person singular imperative of presumir

---

Spanish

Verb

presume

1. Informal second-person singular (tú) affirmative imperative form of presumir.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present indicative form of presumir.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present indicative form of presumir.