Word.ws English Dictionary

assuming

/əˈsuːmɪŋ/UK/əˈsjuːmɪŋ/

assuming is the present participle and gerund of assume.

Meaning of assume

Verb

assume (third-person singular simple present assumes, present participle assuming, simple past and past participle assumed)

  1. To authenticate by means of belief; to surmise; to suppose to be true, especially without proof.
    • We assume that, as her parents were dentists, she knows quite a bit about dentistry.
  2. To take on a position, duty or form.
    • Mr. Jones will assume the position of a lifeguard until a proper replacement is found.
  3. To adopt a feigned quality or manner; to claim without right; to arrogate.
    • He assumed an air of indifference.
  4. To receive, adopt (a person).
    • The sixth was a young knight of lesser renown and lower rank, assumed into that honorable company.1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co....
  5. To adopt (an idea or cause).

Noun

assuming (plural assumings)

  1. An assumption.
    • December 16, 1656, Thomas Burton, diary entry
      No positive inference can he drawn from Nayler's confession, as to his assuming the attributes of Christ, but rather a positive denial of these assumings.

Adjective

assuming (comparative more assuming, superlative most assuming)

  1. haughty; arrogant

Forms of assuming

Noun
pluralassumings
Adjective
comparativemore assuming
superlativemost assuming

Words formed from assuming

Phrases with assuming

Questions about assuming

What does assuming mean?
Assuming means an assumption.
What is assuming the present participle and gerund of?
Assuming is the present participle and gerund of assume.
What part of speech is assuming?
Assuming can be a noun or an adjective.
How do you pronounce assuming?
Assuming is pronounced /əˈsjuːmɪŋ/ (UK).
What is the plural of assuming?
The plural of assuming is assumings.

Words near assuming in the dictionary

  1. assumes room temperature
  2. assumes the mantle
  3. assumes the position
  4. assumest
  5. assumeth
  6. assuming
  7. assuming room temperature
  8. assuming the mantle
  9. assuming the position
  10. assumingly
  11. assumingness

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: assuming (page history and authors); assume (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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