ENGLISH
REFERENCE

supposed

v.
B1 Intermediate US //səˈpoʊzd// sup·posed

v. to be required or expected to do something because of a rule or a promise. You use this when talking about what should happen, even if it actually does not.

v. to be required, expected, or intended to perform a specific action based on rules, social conventions, or prior arrangements. Typically used in the passive voice followed by a to-infinitive.


SIMPLE

You are supposed to wear a seatbelt in the car.

CONTEXTUAL

The train was supposed to arrive at noon, but it was delayed by an hour due to the heavy snow.

COMPLEX

While the policy was supposed to encourage transparency within the department, the lack of clear guidelines led to further confusion among the staff members.

Synonyms
Usage

Almost exclusively used in the passive voice ('be supposed to'); the active voice ('I suppose') carries a different meaning of 'to assume'.

Pitfall

I am suppose to goI am supposed to goLearners often drop the 'd' because it is not clearly heard in speech, but the written form must be the past participle 'supposed'.

Idioms1 entry

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