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'Presume' = to suppose with some basis or evidence; 'assume' = to take something for granted without justification.
Side-by-side comparison
"Presume" is to suppose something that seems reasonable given the context or available evidence. "I presume you've met" = I suppose you have met (the context makes it likely).
I presume the meeting has been postponed, since nobody has arrived and it was scheduled for ten minutes ago.
We presumed he was guilty based on the circumstantial evidence, though no direct proof was found.
May I presume upon your hospitality for one more night, given that the roads are not safe?
"Assume" is to take something for granted without justification or evidence. "She assumed he would pay" = she took it for granted without any agreement. "Don't assume" = do not presuppose things.
She assumed the meeting would be rescheduled and did not bother to confirm, arriving to find it had already taken place.
Do not assume that everyone shares your enthusiasm for the project, some people may have serious concerns.
He assumed the role of team leader without being formally appointed, which caused some resentment.
Common mistake
- •Key distinction: "presume" is a supposition with a reasonable basis (evidence or context supports it); "assume" is to take something for granted without evidence.
- •"I presume you have read the report" implies context suggests it; "I assume you have read it" implies taking it for granted without any reason.
Trick to remember it
- •"PRE-sume" = you have a PRE-existing reason or evidence before your conclusion.
- •"AS-sume" = you guess blindly, and the famous mnemonic applies: assume makes an "ass" of "u" and "me." If you have some basis, presume; if you have none, assume.
Quick rule
- •"Presume" = to suppose with a reasonable basis or evidence (the conclusion seems logical).
- •"Assume" = to take for granted without evidence or verification.
Did you know?
"Presumption of innocence" is the perfect legal example of PRESUME. In law, a "presumption" is the supposition the law establishes as most reasonable given available knowledge: without proof of guilt, innocence is the most logical conclusion. It is not a gratuitous supposition, it has a logical and legal basis. The most famous sentence with PRESUME is "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" (said by Henry Morton Stanley in 1871 upon finding missing explorer David Livingstone in Africa). The phrase is a perfect example: Stanley had contextual evidence (Livingstone was the only European in that remote area) that justified the supposition, it was not a blind guess.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
I _____ d she was coming — nobody told me she had cancelled.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
In a court of law, a person is _____ d innocent until proven guilty.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
"Explicit" = stated directly and clearly, leaving nothing implied; "implicit" = understood or implied without being directly stated.
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
'Currently' means 'at the present time'; 'actually' means 'in reality', not 'nowadays'.
"Actually" corrects or contrasts an assumption; "really" intensifies or confirms.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy