assume

assume — verb

1. to believe that a fact is correct or that an event will happen, even though you

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to believe that a fact is correct or that an event will happen, even though you do not have evidence to back up your belief.

Example

Viraj assumed that her brother had already eaten dinner before she came home.

assume + that-clause

The detective wrongly assumed the gardener was lying about the broken window.

assume + noun + clause (zero that)

Common collocations
  • wrongly assume
  • safely assume
  • naturally assume
  • let us assume
  • I can only assume
Synonyms
  • presume

    more formal; suggests stronger grounds for the belief

  • suppose

    more tentative; everyday register

  • take for granted

    phrasal; stresses an unexamined belief

Antonyms
  • doubt

    to question rather than accept the idea

  • verify

    to confirm with evidence rather than guess

Grammar Patterns

assume + (that)-clause

assume + noun + to be + adjective

Usage Note

Only sense that takes a that-clause or a to-infinitive complement. Often signals that the speaker is treating the belief as provisional rather than confirmed.

Common Mistakes

I assume to know the answer.
I assume I know the answer.
use a that-clause for your own belief, not a bare to-infinitive about yourself.
She assumed about him being late.
She assumed that he was late.
assume does not take a preposition before its complement.

2. to start to carry a duty, role, or position of power, or to begin showing a new

2.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

to start to carry a duty, role, or position of power, or to begin showing a new outward quality.

Example

Dr. Wen assumed the role of head surgeon last spring after Dr. Park retired.

assume + role / office

After the floods, the mayor assumed full responsibility for housing the displaced families.

assume + responsibility

Common collocations
  • assume responsibility
  • assume control
  • assume power
  • assume office
  • assume the role of
  • assume a new shape
Synonyms
  • take on

    neutral phrasal verb; far more common in speech

  • undertake

    formal; emphasises a task being accepted

  • seize

    stresses taking power suddenly and without permission

Antonyms
  • relinquish

    formal; to give up the role or control

  • resign

    to step down from an office one has held

Grammar Patterns

assume + responsibility / control / power / office

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person, group, or institution for the role meaning, and an inanimate thing for the quality meaning. Distinguish from sense 1 (a belief in the speaker's mind) and sense 3 (a deliberate disguise).

Common Mistakes

She assumed for the manager job.
She assumed the manager's responsibilities.
this sense takes a direct noun object, no preposition.

3. to use a false name, manner, or feeling so that other people will think you are

3.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to use a false name, manner, or feeling so that other people will think you are a different person or that your reaction is genuine.

Example

The spy assumed the name Henry Carter and rented a flat above the bakery.

assume + name (false identity)

Tova assumed a calm voice on the phone, even though her hands were shaking.

assume + manner (false outward sign)

Common collocations
  • assume an identity
  • assume a name
  • assume a persona
  • assume an air of
  • assume an accent
Synonyms
  • feign

    literary; usually about emotions you do not really feel

  • adopt

    neutral; can describe taking on a name without deception

  • put on

    informal; usually for an accent or a fake mood

Antonyms
  • reveal

    to show the true name or feeling instead of hiding it

Grammar Patterns

assume + a name / an identity / an accent

Usage Note

Object is typically a name, identity, persona, accent, expression, or air. Distinguish from sense 1: this is a deliberate outward act, not a private mental belief.

Common Mistakes

He assumed to be a doctor.
He assumed the identity of a doctor.
this sense needs a noun object (name, identity, persona), not a to-infinitive.

Word family

  • assumption
    nounB2
  • assumed
    adjectiveC1
  • assuming
    conjunctionB2
  • presumable
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four verbs describe forming a belief without solid proof, but the strength and register differ. Assume is neutral and very common: you treat something as true so you can move on, often signalling that you know the belief might be wrong. Presume is more formal and carries a stronger sense that the speaker has good reason — a lawyer or a journalist would presume rather than assume. Suppose is softer and more tentative; it often opens a hypothetical, as in 'Suppose we missed the train.' Guess is the most casual and openly admits a lack of evidence, especially in American English ('I guess we should leave'). So a manager might assume the report is finished, a judge might presume the witness is honest, a friend might suppose the café is closed, and a child might guess the answer.

assume ↗presume ↗suppose ↗guess ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • let us assume
  • I can only assume
  • it is safe to assume
  • assume the worst
  • assume the position of

Prepositions

  • from (her tone)
  • about (a situation)

Etymology

LatinMiddle FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

Assume entered English in the 1400s from Latin assumere, formed from ad- meaning 'to' and sumere meaning 'take up'. The earliest English use was the literal 'take up' meaning, especially in religious writing about a soul being received into heaven. Over the next two centuries the verb spread to two more abstract ideas: taking on a role or duty, and taking on a false outward appearance. The 'suppose without proof' meaning, today the most common, grew out of the older sense of 'taking something to be the case' and only settled as the dominant meaning in the 1600s.