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

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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

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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
Americans at the republic’s founding debated that premise — and doubted what the lesson might be. — Maurizio Valsania, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026 This is the premise of FORM, a $50 million Wellcome Leap program designed to rigorously investigate links between the early life gut microbiome and neurodevelopmental challenges, including autism with high support needs. — Holly Baines, STAT, 14 Oct. 2026
Verb
The result is a haunting portrait of social collapse whose power is premised on the words and faces of survivors. — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026 Blank Forms has announced plans to shift base from its current Clinton Hill, Brooklyn premises to an 8,000-square-foot open plan loft on the sixth floor of 151 Lafayette Street in SoHo. — News Desk, Artforum, 21 Aug. 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
  • Given Abbey’s anxieties about spending money and fear of not having enough, Stacy plans to use very conservative assumptions for inflation, health costs and average returns when making her projections based on Abbey’s savings today.
    — Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • But researchers involved in the study challenged that assumption.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of assumption
Noun
  • Electric flight enters policing Astro could give officers another way to monitor the university’s campus and surrounding grounds.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The network, along with MS NOW and Politico, won a preliminary injunction in federal court last week, a blow to Trump’s effort to bar the outlets from the White House grounds.
    — Scott Nover, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of ground
Verb
  • After the premiere the other day, [Jones] says, ‘Thanks for paying attention to the character Waylon, because most people wouldn’t.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The company said its team can currently build a robot in about a day, with a target of reducing the process to roughly an hour next year.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of say
Noun
  • Framing theory explains how the presentation of information in the media influences the way people process and interpret it.
    — Heather LaMarre, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
  • His theory didn’t reach far beyond Japan until the translation of his original essay, first in 1978, then in 2005, and again, with Mori’s approval, in 2012.
    — Daniel Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of theory
Noun
  • The settlers hurled stones with slings and set the groves on fire, chasing a group of journalists about 80 yards from the scene.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Here are five ways to make your Halloween display friendlier to the creatures that fly, slither and scurry through your yard.
    — Katie Koschalk, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of yard
Verb
  • The film follows a Polish burglar who assumes the identity of a dead stranger’s girlfriend, with unexpected results.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 18 Oct. 2026
  • And, of course, anyone who remembers the optimistic hordes streaming up Michigan Avenue after Barack Obama made his victory speech for president of the United States in Grant Park well knows the local benefits of a Chicagoan assuming the presidency.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of assume
Noun
  • Bunker-like structures such as the concrete fieldhouse in Bridgeport’s McGuane Park, completed in 1972, demonstrate a more utilitarian approach to park amenities without much architectural interest.
    — Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The president’s proposal to turn the affordable golf facility and surrounding park into an elite golf course arrives in the middle of a federal court battle.
    — Joe Heim, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of park
Verb
  • Defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
    — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Right now, there are zero Black performers in Gold Derby’s presumed top five in each acting category.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Oct. 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 21 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about premise

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