English Reference
adjective · verb

presumed

adj. · v.
US /pɹəˈzumd/ UK /pɹɪzjˈuːmd/ pre·sumed

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    adj.thought to be true or certain, even though it has not been officially confirmed.

    adj.accepted as true or probable based on strong inference, though lacking absolute verification.

    Simple

    The presumed winner of the election began preparing his victory speech early.

    In context

    Despite the lack of a body, the presumed death of the explorer was eventually accepted by the authorities after years of silence.

  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate

    v.to have believed something was true because it seemed very likely.

    v.the past tense and past participle of 'presume', indicating an assumption made on the basis of probability.

    Simple

    I presumed you were coming to the party since your car was in the driveway.

    In context

    The investigators presumed that the fire had started in the kitchen, though they waited for the forensic report to confirm their theory.

    assumedsupposedsurmised

Rather than relying only on the size, anatomy or presumed hunting abilities of extinct animals, researchers can use the marks left on bones to identify signs of actual feeding or attacks.

ScienceDaily· 19 Aug 2026

Then, she compared those presumed connections with their actual lists of friends.

Phys.org· 30 Aug 2026
This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated