assuming 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of assumingnext
as in wary

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

assuming

2 of 2

verb

present participle of assume
1
as in accepting
to take to or upon oneself we promised to assume responsibility for any damage to the flower beds caused by the volleyball game in the backyard

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in saying
to take as true or as a fact without actual proof everyone assumed, wrongly, that someone else was bringing dessert

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in guessing
to form an opinion from little or no evidence as I just assumed it was too late to go out, I didn't think to ask

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in pretending
to present a false appearance of she assumed an air of nonchalance even though she was wildly ecstatic she was going on the date

Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in employing
to provide with a paying job assumed as partner by the prestigious law firm

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of assuming
Verb
Coronated at age 3 after his father’s death, the curious boy king in colorful robes mesmerized world leaders and ruled through regents until assuming full authority at 18. — Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026 At those levels, assuming no additional charges, paying off the debt while making minimum payments could take nearly 27 years and cost nearly $13,000 in interest alone, according to Bankrate's credit card calculator. — Mike Winters, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026 Miss Manners admits to assuming that most people eventually recognize such social cues. — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026 There are matches to win, obstacles to overcome, and a new ally in the form of Zelda (assuming Rebecca’s wrong to be a little suspicious about her attention). — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026 From that group, the Steelers will probably have to cut four players (assuming Kaleb Johnson is cut in favor of Travis Homer). — Mike Defabo, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 In this case, assuming Porsche is actively working on a manual GTS, its engineers would have had to start from the ground floor, not by reaching into the company’s warehouse of existing parts. — Byron Hurd, The Drive, 26 Aug. 2026 The Clippers – assuming that the Kawhi Leonard trade goes through – are in a transition period. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026 There are a paltry three trains a day, assuming at least one is not canceled for one reason or another, a frequent occurrence in our experience. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assuming
  1. wary
  2. accepting
  3. saying
  4. guessing
  5. pretending
  6. employing
  7. critical
  8. shouldering
Adjective
  • The decision suggests the companies believe that foreign investors remain wary of putting new money into the kingdom’s stock exchange, and will likely put off other firms planning IPOs in the short term.
    — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Koreans are wary of methods to turn housing wealth into cash.
    — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of wary
Verb
  • So deep are the divisions that hardliners have accused officials of deliberately mismanaging the economic crisis to pressure an exhausted public into accepting a deal.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Miller and Young each received two-year prison sentences but were released shortly after accepting the plea agreement.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of accepting
Verb
  • On Monday, those five writers — also DSA-LA members — panned the idea of an endorsement, saying Raman hasn’t earned it.
    — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The display was set up by police, with authorities saying some of the bodies recovered from the floods were in an advanced state of decomposition, making physical identification difficult.
    — Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of saying
Verb
  • That’s 1 point for me immediately taken away for losing to the Bot, who gets 2 for guessing in two and 1 for beating me.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • But will the new Fed boss keep investors guessing on the central bank’s rate path and his views on the Treasury’s intervention in the bond market?
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of guessing
Verb
  • The two are only able to unlock a new understanding of each other by pretending to be strangers meeting for the first time.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The fix is to stop pretending a general-purpose adult chatbot is a children's tutor.
    — Dana Williams, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of pretending
Verb
  • Through the new focus on South Miami-Dade, Beasley also wants employers to understand the benefits of employing people from the area.
    — Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The idea of employing microbes to transform waste carbon into something useful is far from novel.
    — Mike McRae August 28, New Atlas, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of employing
Adjective
  • The critical consensus on the Croisette was similarly effusive.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Restrictions on energy, electricity or critical minerals, something Ford also floated, could instead raise costs for American companies and consumers by making key inputs more expensive or harder to obtain.
    — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of critical
Verb
  • Yuba-Sutter grower Rob Bains has a land development and custom farm work business and is shouldering hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs for former Del Monte farmers until they get paid through the tree pull program.
    — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • What must happen is that even these lower density neighborhoods start adding housing stock at rates roughly proportional to what every other neighborhood is shouldering.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of shouldering

Browse Nearby Words

assumes
assuming
assumption
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Assuming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assuming. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of conscientious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All