v.
Pronunciation: s ə - ' p ō z, oftenest after “ I ” ' sp ō z
Function: verb
Inflected Form: sup · posed ; sup · pos · ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French supposer, from Medieval Latin supponere (perf. indicative supposui ), from Latin, to put under, substitute, from sub- + ponere to put ― more at POSITION
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1 a : to lay down tentatively as a hypothesis, assumption, or proposal < suppose a fire broke out> < suppose you bring the salad> b (1) : to hold as an opinion : BELIEVE <they supposed they were early> (2) : to think probable or in keeping with the facts <seems reasonable to suppose that he would profit>
2 a : CONCEIVE , IMAGINE b : to have a suspicion of
3 : PRESUPPOSE
intransitive verb : CONJECTURE , OPINE