How to Use assume in a Sentence

assume

verb
  • The king assumed the throne when he was very young.
  • She assumed from his expression that he was confused.
  • I assumed he was coming, so I was surprised when he didn't show up.
  • Under certain conditions, the chemical will assume the appearance of ice.
  • We'll be arriving around noon. That's assuming that our flight is on time.
  • But, one assumes, more up-to-date.
    — Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 26 Jan. 2026
  • But don’t assume that this means beards are all bark and no bite.
    — Marisa Sloan, Discover Magazine, 24 Feb. 2023
  • The man assumed this would not be a problem.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2025
  • So our guys moved up, assuming it was not caught.
    — Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
  • The fire is assumed to have been sparked by lightning.
    — Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
  • The fire is assumed to have been sparked by lightning.
    — Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The fire is assumed to have been sparked by lightning.
    — Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 6 Sep. 2025
  • The fire is assumed to have been sparked by lightning.
    — Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The fire is assumed to have been sparked by lightning.
    — Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 13 Sep. 2025
  • The best leaders don’t just assume based on the present.
    — Calvin Goulding, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
  • But don’t assume Moses doesn’t know his way around the kitchen.
    — Karen Rosen, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2022
  • It is assumed that the fire was sparked by a lightning strike.
    — Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 30 Aug. 2025
  • It is assumed that the fire was sparked by a lightning strike.
    — Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2025
  • For decades, many researchers assumed the virus emerged in pigs.
    — John Drake, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
  • That’s assuming they can even be built.
    — Editorial, Boston Herald, 30 May 2026
  • But one old lady at the end of her life might urge us not to assume the worst.
    — Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
  • In April, a new pup will assume the mantle.
    — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 28 Mar. 2026
  • The key is to never assume your partner will be just like you.
    — Megan Buerger, Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2022
  • That assumes Trump has any vision at all, of course.
    — Garry Kasparov, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
  • Also a lot of people assumed that the fifth one was the last one.
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Don’t assume because each of us is in charge of our own story.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2022
  • For a long time, Gomez assumed the problem was unique to her.
    — Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 18 Dec. 2024
  • But tile roofs do not age evenly, the way many people assume.
    — Mike McGilvary, Sun Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2026
  • This is assuming that the plants in question are ones that need full sun.
    — Dr. Matthew Lisy, Hartford Courant, 21 June 2025
  • The fire is assumed to have been triggered by a lightning strike.
    — Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 6 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assume.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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