premise 1 of 2

noun

ˈpre-məs How to pronounce premise (audio)
variants also premiss
Definition of premisenext
1
as in assumption
something taken as being true or factual and used as a starting point for a course of action or reasoning your conclusion is all wrong because you started out with a false premise

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in ground
premises plural the area around and belonging to a building detectives painstakingly searched the premises for clues to the disappearance

Synonyms & Similar Words

premise

2 of 2

verb

ˈpre-məs How to pronounce premise (audio)
as in to say
to take as true or as a fact without actual proof let us premise certain things, such as every person's need for love, before beginning our line of reasoning

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 premise
Noun
Some of the on-ship entertainment is great for kids, like the magic shows in the Journeys Lounge, and children feel welcome throughout the premises, including the restaurants. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026 The thriller follows a police detective who loses his memory, a premise Sabu used to rework his central character over the years the project spent in development. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
Verb
Garvey said the journal, which published quarterly from 1993 to 2005, was premised on the idea of abolishing whiteness as a social category that situates white people above other racial groups. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 30 July 2026 First, it was premised on RCA winning on its tortious interference claim (which RCA could not as related above). — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for premise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for premise
  1. assumption
  2. ground
  3. say
  4. theory
  5. yard
  6. assume
  7. park
  8. presume
Noun
  • The alternative is to allow each side’s strategy to reinforce the other’s worst assumptions until escalation begins to look less like a choice than an inevitability.
    — Hamidreza Azizi, Time, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Bareilles is mourning a few things — the deaths of close friends, dreams of easy fertility, assumptions of female autonomy, the American dream — but the music soars, more often than not.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of assumption
Noun
  • The movie, featured in the Venice Spotlight section of the fest, looks to break new ground.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026
  • In this context, Lord’s has more than done its bit — no English ground has seen more swing movement or more seam movement post-pandemic.
    — Ben Jones Aug. 26, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of ground
Verb
  • Other areas of concern are the library system's self-check-out kiosks, instances in which minor teenagers handle materials while working or volunteering at a branch, and platforms for loaning electronic materials, Adams said.
    — Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 28 Aug. 2026
  • If the show is now being repositioned as just for people who are fresh out of design school or who have made just one or two gowns before (like, cough, our beloved Jude), then say that.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of say
Noun
  • The lipstick index is an economic theory holding that sales of affordable discretionary spending or luxuries skyrocket when consumers believe an economic recession is impending.
    — Sarah Glodek, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Yet Turing’s theory of computation wasn’t really about computers, at least not at first.
    — Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of theory
Noun
  • Foster made the most of the opportunity, tallying seven catches for 73 yards and a touchdown in the preseason and standing out throughout training camp.
    — Andrew Destin, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Missouri Southern’s Tillman Martin, who played in high school at Liberty North, completed 21 of 38 pass attempts for 210 yards and two touchdowns.
    — The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of yard
Verb
  • Goldman’s model assumes SMIC will add between 30,000 and 50,000 advanced-node wafers in monthly capacity each year from 2026 through 2031.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Golden Tempo, meanwhile, assumed his position near the back of the field as his deep closing style has delivered huge glory in the past.
    — Danny Brewer, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of assume
Noun
  • He was found dead after crashing his blue Kia into a home near the park.
    — Yona Gavino, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Down in the Keys, Dry Tortugas National Park has grappled with deteriorating historic masonry and failing dock systems, threatening the safety of tens of thousands of visitors who visit the park’s remote Fort Jefferson each year.
    — Lulu Vilas, Sun Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of park
Verb
  • Still other explanations presume that the gods’ artistic representations in ritual settings are the basis of the meaning of their multiform appearances.
    — Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The group presumes the deal would need approval from Chicago’s City Council as well.
    — Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of presume

Browse Nearby Words

premierships
premise
premised
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Cite this Entry

“Premise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/premise. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on premise

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about premise

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