Definition of postulatenext
as in assumption
something taken as being true or factual and used as a starting point for a course of action or reasoning one of the postulates that the true agnostic rejects is the assumption that it is even possible for us to know whether God exists

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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 postulate
Noun
Euclid’s postulates for geometry; various schemes for standardizing arithmetic. — Quanta Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026 That postulate would justify racial quotas or preferences to remedy racial discrimination uncorroborated by credible evidence. — Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
Now, building on their previous research, the Curtin and Sheffield Hallam University scientists postulate that the movement of the altar stone may have involved a combination of human and glacial transport. — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 5 June 2026 There’s no point postulating a soul that might rise beyond the reach of artificial illumination, because the very vault of the Universe is inscribed with radiant diagrams. — Wyatt Williams, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for postulate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for postulate
Noun
  • The firm also cut its price target to $11 from $13 and raised its fuel expense assumption for the third quarter to about $207 million.
    — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
  • This assumption is oversimplified, and the problem is partly one of accounting.
    — Ben Vanpeperstraete, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • What employers are doing Kostka says there have recently been fewer health insurers in her area to choose from.
    — Alana Semuels, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Hamilton, in response, said that his church changed its policies in response to the scandal and eventually turned the matter over to police.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Pike didn’t always have such a cogent theory of the power of the body in performance.
    — Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The idea that the absence of private property and systematic inequality automatically removes coercion—which forms the core of the Marxist theory of history—is not proven.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Figures assume a married, two-earner couple with one child earning $99,999 and are not adjusted for inflation.
    — Martie Bowser, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Walczak’s estimates assume local governments raise tax rates enough to fully replace the lost revenue, based on state property records for every parcel in Florida.
    — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Consistent with their hypothesis, the secretion signal helps transfer the enzyme out of the cell, while the lipid anchor holds it near the cell surface.
    — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
  • But there are indirect consequences of the Many Worlds hypothesis that could lend the idea credibility.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The motion noted that Brockway gave an officer a residence key that was later given to another officer who presumed it to imply consent for entry.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Iris is presumed to have been painted in the open air circa 1924–25, near the end of the artist’s life.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 23 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • For that reason, Republicans believe the seat is a likely pickup this fall in what is otherwise a difficult midterm environment.
    — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, Head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the UK, said police believed the country Abdulkarim was assisting was Iran.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 27 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • To illustrate, Kilaru hypothesized a women’s lacrosse player.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • This unique trait has led planetary scientists to hypothesize that the asteroid formed in the frigid outer solar system and migrated inward early in the solar system's history.
    — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 12 Oct. 2026

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“Postulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/postulate. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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